Mind, Body and Spirit
by Ah Hael
Summary: Wufei has a promising future as a priest of the Trinity until he encounters strange forest creatures. 5X3X2 and 1x4
1. Chapter 1

**I had to debate REAL HARD as to whether or not I wanted this story posted here because I know that later chapters will eventually have to be edited for content. I figured I'd leave this for those of you who have been patiently waiting for me to update Soul Mates. I will get to it I promise. And I will finish this one tooI just need to find a huge chunk of free time todo it.**

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Title: Mind, Body and Spirit

Author: Ah Hael

Genre: Alternate Universe, Fantasy, Romance

Rating: M (I will edit out the more risque parts in later chapters)

Pairings: 5x3x2 (yes that's right a threesome finally), 1x4+5 and 6x9xS

Spoilers: None

Summary: Wufei has a promising future as a priest of the Trinity until he encounters strange forest creatures.

Archives: http/ Nope, not mine. I checked, definitely not mine.

Mind, Body and Spirit – By Ah Hael

Wufei buckled the belt of his outer robe tightly. It looked to be getting colder outside, and he didn't particularly favor the idea of catching a chill.

As he was pulling up his hood there was a knock on his cell door, and he opened it to admit Heero and Quatre.

"Good morning, Wufei. Ready to go?" asked Quatre, who Wufei noticed was all pleasant smiles as usual. Such was the nature of a Spirit Priest, but he appeared to be particularly chipper this morning.

His partner and lover, Heero, also seemed to be happier than usual and graced Wufei with one of his rare warm smiles as well. Like most Priests of the Body, Heero wasn't big on people skills, but he didn't terrify Wufei like some of the other ones he had met. The first time he met Rashid, he nearly ran in the other direction, screaming from fear of the ominous looking giant. Of course, he was only a child then, but, at the time, he thought the man was going to eat him.

It was no mystery to him why the pair was so happier than normal this morning. Heero and Quatre were pleased that Wufei had asked them to accompany him while he went into the eastern wood and searched for some herbs for his studies. Several priests had been actively pursuing him as one of their third, and would have been equally happy to escort him. His favoritism was starting to show because he kept coming back to the blond Spirit and brunette Body priest.

He knew he would one day have to select a threesome, but it amazed him that so many would want him. Even Sally teased him about how many suitors he had, saying she was jealous no one chased her so. As if anyone would have been fool enough to challenge Zechs and Noin for her suit.

The main foundation of the Trinity order was that the mind, body and spirit needed to work in harmony to prosper. When young novices joined the order, they were trained in all aspects of it. In time, they selected the area that most suited them and joined the priesthood of that branch. Once a priest, that person would then join themselves with priests of the other two branches to create a trifectum. The three would then travel the world, teaching and aiding the people.

It was not necessary for a trio to be lovers, but it was so common, it was almost expected. After all, the vows of a Trifectum were just as binding as marriage vows and very difficult to break.

From the moment he came to the order, Wufei wanted to be a Priest of the Mind. He couldn't remember wanting any thing else. He loved learning and spent most of his time with his nose buried in a scroll or book. The days like today when he wasn't reading, he was doing something relating to learning. His insatiable thirst for knowledge had caught quite a bit of notice, but he paid little attention to comments about his potential to be the best Mind Priest of his generation.

He just didn't think selecting a matching spirit and body would be so difficult.

Over the past summer he had started to drift closer and closer to Heero and Quatre, but he still found himself holding back. He certainly got along with them well enough. Not to mention that if he was in need of physical companionship, they were definitely attractive enough, and had openly expressed their interest in him, but he was still unsure. Perhaps it was romantic foolishness on his part, but he'd always imagined that he would know when he met the right match the moment he saw them. The way he remembered it being for Heero and Quatre.

While they were still novices, Wufei and Heero along with several other novices were practicing their sword forms in the yard. Quatre was cutting across the yard his arms loaded down with scrolls when one got away from him and rolled straight to Heero's feet.

Normally, Heero would have been furious about outside interference and would have sent the interloper running with a very painful reminder not to bother him. That day, he was just lucky that he was practicing with a wooden sword so he didn't hack off his own foot when he dropped it.

Wufei remembered the moment quite clearly. Two boys, standing there, staring at each other, completely oblivious to the jeers around them. One look and the two were lost to all others. It was a bit daunting to try and be a third to love like that. Maybe his love of learning could fill the gap between what they felt for him and what they felt for each other.

He didn't think so.

"Sally says we have to bring back some Tsaro root as well," Quatre added while the three of them headed off to the east gate.

"What? It's almost winter! I'll never be able to find it at this time of year!" Wufei ranted.

"She says there isn't enough in the medical supplies to last all winter. She figures there is going to be a lot of people coming down with the sniffles and wants to be prepared," the blond answered calmly.

"Then, she should have collected it last spring! By now, the animals have had all summer to eat away any traces of the plant!"

"Well perhaps we might get lucky," he suggested optimistically. Heero wisely chose to stay quiet.

Wufei looked at Quatre like he was deliberately being dense. "Quatre, Tsaro root is just that. A root. It's underground. The only way to pinpoint it is by its leaves and flower, which are very appealing to animals. What isn't dead and withered by the cold has probably already been eaten. The only way to find it now is to dig around and hope we find it," Wufei finished morosely. His day of studies just disappeared into a day of cold dirty work.

He wasn't wrong. His fingers were sore, cold and filthy by the time he decided to stop for his midday meal. The young priest scowled at the three puny, wrinkled roots he was able to find. Sally was just going to have to be happy with that, for he was certain his two companions hadn't done any better.

Wufei rolled his eyes. The three had supposedly separated to search, but it didn't take long for Quatre's cries to start echoing through the forest. That was probably the real reason they were so eager to join Wufei today. So they could make love in private. Well, almost private.

Collecting his meager findings, he packed them away into a pouch and stood up. Agrh, everything ached from being hunched over the ground all morning. He gave a back popping stretch and twisted his neck and shoulders a few times trying to work out the worst of the kinks.

"I'm going to get Sally for this," he promised himself, looking down in disgust at his dirty hands and nails. "Now then, wasn't there a stream this way?" he asked himself.

Walking cautiously in the direction his memory was telling him to go, he tried listening for the sounds of running water. Instead, the sound of scuffling and whimpering hit his ears.

Were Quatre and Heero at it again? Not wanting to intrude, but unable to resist his curiosity, he followed the sounds. When he saw movement, he hid behind a tree, unsure of what to do. It would not be right for him to watch them together. But they wanted him as their third, didn't they? His sense of propriety fought another small war with his curiosity and lost causing him to peek around to view the lovers.

He couldn't hold back the gasp of surprise even if he'd wanted to. Neither Quatre nor Heero were anywhere in sight. Instead, the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen was sitting on the ground wrestling with something on its leg. As soon as it heard his gasp, however, it stopped and looked at the trees around it cautiously, like an animal sniffing for a predator.

Immediately, Wufei hid behind his tree again, hoping he wasn't spotted. He gnawed on his bottom lip, debating whether to look again or not. He didn't want to scare it away. He only had a second to see it but his mind was quick to burn the sight into his memory.

It looked like a boy with unusually long hair, but easily more beautiful than any human boy or even girl for that matter, could ever be. His hair was the color of fallen leaves - a mixture of brown, red, and gold - and her eyes looked like the twilight sky. There was no way that was human.

His heart quickened, for he was certain he'd just been the first person in decades to see a sprite. It had been so long since anyone had seen one that many believed the fey people had died out, or had left for more remote forests.

Peering around the trunk again, his heart dropped to his feet when he saw the vision was gone.

Wufei pushed away from his hiding spot and walked around the tree fully. It was when he passed the tree he noticed a little brown rabbit sitting perfectly still and low to the ground watching him fearfully.

For a brief second, he'd wondered if maybe his eyes hadn't played tricks on him and it was a rabbit all along. Coming closer, he noticed the deep twilight blue eyes full of fear, and his heart started thundering in his chest.

So, that was how the fey hid themselves. They disguised themselves as animals and used charms to make people think their eyes were fooling them.

Well, Wufei wasn't fooled. He was thrilled. But he didn't want to scare it away, so he approached it quietly and slowly so as not to spook it.

"Hello there," he said lamely in as gentle a voice as he could.

As soon as he spoke, the animal tried to bolt, only to be flung onto its back by some unseen force.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Then, he wondered why he bothered. It wasn't as if the creature was going to blow its disguise and answer him. Coming closer, he saw that it was caught in a very odd looking snare. The rope was intricately woven and had a strange silvery glint to it.

"Got yourself caught did you? Well I think I can help," he said, pulling out his belt knife. The sight of the knife made the rabbit thrash even more.

"Shh. Easy. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to cut the rope, okay?"

He almost started to laugh when the rabbit stopped its wild kicking and gave him a dubious look. From his vantage point, the priest could see how badly it was trembling, but managed to hold still.

Wufei leaned in close and inspected the leg. It was raw and bleeding and he hissed in sympathy. He quickly cut the rope at the spot were it was anchored. Feeling much like the brave hero, he gently picked up the animal and carefully unwound its foot.

"We need to clean this," the priest told his little friend while looking at the wound closer.

As quickly as he dared, he walked in the direction he was sure the stream was in, being careful not to jostle the rabbit too much. He was keenly aware of the way his passenger was staring at him with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity.

This late in the year, the stream had narrowed down to a tiny trickle but he was relived to see the water was clean. Shuffling his hold on the animal so he could hold it with one hand and rinse with the other, he bent low to dip into the water. The icy cold of the water almost took his breath away, but he grit his teeth and cleaned his grimy hands before treating the wound.

"You're not going to like how cold this is, but it's better than getting an infection." The little ball of fur in his arms tried desperately to claw and kick its way free of the frigid water, but Wufei managed to keep a good grip on it long enough to wash it. As an extra precaution, he retrieved one of the other roots in his bag that he'd found while searching for Tsaro.

Rinsing and breaking it open he firmed his hold on the animal and brushed the raw end over the now clean wound. When boiled down, the root made a great antiseptic. It still worked good raw, but smelled terrible and burned like damnation.

"Easy, easy," he crooned while trying to wrestle thrashing feet. "All done now. It should heal clean now." He gently placed the rabbit on its feet and watched it scamper a safe distance away from him. When it was certain Wufei wasn't following it, it stopped and examined his foot. Sniffing at the wound, it sneezed three times in succession, and Wufei found himself smiling.

"Yes, I know it smells. Be thankful you don't have to stew it. It burns out your sense of smell for weeks." He had no idea why he was trying to keep up the one sided conversation with the creature, but he couldn't stop himself. He wanted the experience to last for as long as he could make it. His furry patient twitched his ears and whiskers at Wufei one last time, before bolting into the brush with an awkward limp.

Alone again, the young priest basked in the afterglow of what just happened. He was probably the only on of his generation who'd seen a Fey and knew it. Even though the sprite refused to leave its animal form, he felt like he'd been given a rare gift and knew he would cherish it always.

He had no idea how long he was standing there staring into nothingness, but he saw the sun was well past its zenith when Quatre and Heero found him.

"Wufei! There you are! We've been looking all over for you. Didn't you hear us calling?"

Watching the lovers approach with worried faces, he made the instant decision not to tell them about his encounter. For some reason he didn't feel like sharing the experience with anyone. And he definitely didn't want whoever set that snare hearing that they had almost caught themselves a sprite!

"I'm sorry. I must have wandered farther than I thought," he replied.

"You should be more careful. There are hunters and wild animals in this forest. We cannot aid you if you wander too far," Heero scolded. His tone was that of a wise adult to an errant child.

"I would not have found the need to put such distance between us if you and Quatre had been a little quieter in your 'searching'," he said pointedly. At least the pair had the decency to look slightly embarrassed.

No one said anything on the way back to the abbey, which was just fine for the mind priest. He was eager to get back to his room so he could try and sketch what he could remember.

A real live Fey. He wondered if he would ever be lucky enough to see his new friend again.


	2. Chapter 2

Mind Body and Soul - Two

If anyone noticed Wufei's sudden interest in the eastern wood no one said anything. They probably thought it was just another aspect of his thirst for knowledge.

Although there were still many who offered to accompany him, there were many times he would sneak off alone before anyone noticed.

He was out before dawn the morning following the sighting. Making a beeline to the spot where the snare had been, he didn't see anything human, animal or otherwise.

Finding the clearing just as the sun had completely emerged from the horizon, he found the remains of the snare and a flat stone had been set up beside it. On the stone, lay a few Tsaro root, some nuts, and a flower. A surge of elation bubbled up inside of him, and he almost danced on the spot, the emotion was so overwhelming.

He pocketed the snare cord and then the roots and nuts, using a much gentler touch than he would have normally afforded such things. Then, the flower he pick up as if a breath would shatter it.

It was a common weed. He recognized the variety easily. During the spring and summer months, it was abundant everywhere. But this close to winter, even the hardy weed should not have been able to flower.

It was a gift, and he accepted it as if it were more precious that any gold or jewels.

Afraid that this would be the last of his encounter, he tried to think of someway to prolong it. On impulse, he pulled out one of the honeyed cakes he'd snuck from the kitchen that morning for his breakfast. He left the cake still warm, wrapped in a napkin.

"Hopefully no one will come and steal that from you before you get to it," he said out loud. As if the intended recipient could actually hear him.

Leaving the clearing, a bird chirruped at him. Again, it was a common variety. A plain brown sparrow that he ordinarily wouldn't have given more than a moment's thought. Today, however, he took the time to notice that as plain as the bird was it had sparkling deep blue eyes like gemstones, instead of the normal beady black.

Feeling bold, he smiled and waved at the bird. "It might not be such a good idea to stay around here for long. Whoever set that snare is bound to come and check it. I'm surprised they haven't already set a new one."

Wufei left the clearing quickly after that. His heart was pounding fiercely in his chest. The pent up energy brought him back to his cell in almost no time.

Laying the flower gently on his table, he tried to think of a way to keep it. He could dry it, but even then he would not be allowed to display it. As a rule, they were not permitted such decoration. As a member of the mind priesthood, he was allowed books though.

Selecting one of his heavier books he had used for making notes, he opened the leaf and laid the flower in it, wincing as it was flattened by the weight of the tome.

No more gifts were exchanged over the next few weeks but Wufei had become keener in spotting his friend in his various forms. He was on most occasions a similar shade of brown to his hair color but seemed incapable of fixing his eye color.

A squirrel, a badger, a mouse, several different varieties of birds and one time even a wolf.

The time he was a wolf had frightened him for a moment because Wufei was not entirely certain it was his sprite. At first, he was certain, and started to say something, but then another wolf appeared, and he was afraid he'd stumbled on a pack by accident.

The newcomer used shoulder nudges and growls to send the first wolf away, and, just before the second wolf left, the priest was sure he's seen its eyes flash a very vibrant green.

A second sprite? Only this one didn't seem as fond of him as the other one was.

Regardless of the fright, Wufei kept going back into the forest, and whenever he thought he spotted his new friend, he began talking about whatever he could think of. He quashed any feelings of foolishness for trying to keep up a one-sided conversation as it kept the sprite coming back.

One morning, his sprite appeared on the other side of a stream as a magnificent stag. He looked so beautiful and majestic he took Wufei's breath away, and Wufei very stupidly said the first thing on his mind. "You look very beautiful today," he breathed.

The stag blinked at him in surprise.

"Uh… that is…" Wufei tried to correct his mistake. Casting around for a way to correct his error, a small movement caught his eye.

Was that a head in that bush? Hunters! He thought alarmed. Instantly, he was waving his arms at the stag wildly.

"Quick! Run! Hunters!" he yelled at the beast. In that form, there was no way hunters could pass up what would be meat for the rest of the winter.

The stag reared up and twisted as if trying to discern the direction of the danger. At the last second, it veered away, and the priest felt something bite into his cheek as it flew past him.

Testing his cheek as he watched the sprite in animal form bound into the forest, he found the arrow had left a shallow cut right along his cheek bone.

A minute later, two very angry hunters descended on him. "What under the gods do you think you were doing? You let it get away!" the first one roared. Wufei recognized them from the local town.

Standing up to his full (though not very tall) height, Wufei tried to project an air of calm superiority that some of the other priests were so good at. "I apologize for interrupting your hunt, good men, but I was studying that animal," he said in a calm sedate manor, hoping that would be enough to send them away.

Spying the priest's garb, the two hunters looked at him with distaste. "Uh… sorry…er… father," the second one said reluctantly.

Gingerly touching his cheek, he responded. "Yes, well, be more cautious of your aim in the future," he commented all knowingly and left the vicinity of the stream. He tried not to worry as he heard the hunters head off in the same direction as the stag.

Halfway to the abbey, he turned around and headed back. As much as his cheek probably needed stitching, he needed to be sure his friend was okay.

As he reached the stream, he heard a horrid scream that sounded like a hundred different animals screaming out in pain. In a panic, he ran towards the sound but he was not expecting what he found. The two hunters were lying dead with matching expressions of surprise on their faces. There was no mark on them to reveal how they died. It just looked like they keeled over while walking in the forest. Perhaps the fey had other defenses? Wufei was having trouble feeling too bad for the two men. In his gut, he was fairly certain they died because they had tried to kill his sprite.

"If you're here, then where is he?" he asked himself looking around for any sign of an animal.

Lying not too far from the hunters was his sprite, in full form. Tears were running down his face and he was clutching his leg. It was bleeding heavily. He looked at Wufei imploringly and the priest felt his heart beat stutter in his chest.

Gently approaching the fey, he knelt to inspect the damage. The arrow had pierced straight through his leg and would need medical attention.

"I can help you, but I'm going to have to take you back to my room to do it. Is that okay?" he asked.

Blue eyes looked at him in terror, and he shook his head adamantly. For whatever reason, he kept his lips clamped tight, unwilling to even cry out in pain. At best, he would make a small whimper in his throat.

"Look, I understand you don't want to be seen, but I can't take care of this here. Perhaps you could change into something small? Like a cat or something?" It was probably very presumptuous of him to think that the sprite would do something like that in front of him, but worry was making him bold. If sprites were anything like humans, he would bleed to death if he didn't get help soon.

Undoing the sash on his robe, he wrapped it around the wound hoping to slow the bleeding. "If you don't want to come with me, perhaps there is somewhere I can take you?"

The fey looked like he was considering his options, then closed his eyes tightly and melted into the form of a cat with black, white, and brown patches.

"All right," he said, rewrapping the much smaller leg. "Let's get you back."

He'd almost made it back to his room when he was spotted by Quatre and Heero. "Wufei! What happened?" the blonde priest asked, looking at his bleeding cheek.

"Hunters," he answered curtly.

Heero looked at the wound and scowled. "I told you you should not go out alone," he reminded.

"Yes, well, these hunters were shooting at everything that moved. You would have just been shot as well." On inspiration, he added, "Look at this. I found this cat shot, and I found two dead men out there. If you had gone, you probably would have been hit too."

"You found men dead?" Heero asked. At the same time, Quatre looked at the cat. "Hello, kitty," he said charmingly, trying to pet the "cat".

Said cat just sniffed and turned its nose up at the gesture. Quatre looked almost heartbroken. "What? What's wrong? Animals usually like me," he pouted.

"He's probably not going to be too friendly to people after being shot, Quatre," Heero stated calmly. "I don't even know why you bothered to save it. It is just a-" Heero cut off the last of his thought as he was pinned by the baleful stares of two priests and a cat.

He had no idea how the cat managed to make him feel ashamed of what he was going to say, but Heero changed topics by getting directions to where the two bodies were so he could get someone to collect them. He also made Wufei promise to get his cut taken care of.

Safe in his room, Wufei laid his patient on his table and ran to get the supplies from the medical room. He just barely escaped Sally by telling her he wanted to take care of his cut himself. Ducking and dodging anyone else who might stop him, he rushed into his room, almost to have the life scared out of him because he found the sprite had changed back to his original form.

He was bent over his leg with his hands hovering above the wound, and it looked like the bleeding had slowed.

Suddenly, Wufei felt very stupid. Why didn't he ask the sprite if he could self heal?

"Why didn't you tell me you could heal yourself?" he asked a little irritated. He'd been in such a panic it would have been nice to know.

The fey gave him an odd look and shrugged one shoulder as if to say 'I'm not very good at it.' He then showed Wufei his leg and the priest saw that although it was indeed better, it was still bleeding. However, it was now at the point where it would just need cleaning and bandages to heal.

Suddenly shy, he looked up at the Fey, embarrassed. "Is… is it possible for you… to…to remove your pants," he asked, blushing and indicating the leggings made out of some odd animal skin. Nodding, the fey slid off the table and balanced on his good leg. His balance became somewhat precarious however as he tried to remove the pants.

Wufei caught him as he started to wobble, but then realized what a bad idea that was when the sprite continued to use him for support while he stripped off his pants. And… oh gods… was wearing no underclothes beneath them.

The heat in his face was so intense he could feel it throbbing as he tried to pretend he wasn't touching the firm warm thigh of a beautiful fey while he cleaned and dressed the wound.

He scrabbled around for something to distract him. "You know, it might be a little easier if I knew what to call you," he suggested.

His patient looked away from him and began worrying his bottom lip. Turning to make eye contact, he mouthed a word that Wufei couldn't figure out. About all he could tell was that it had an 'o' sound. It looked like two, but when his asked if that was right, the other shook his head.

Wufei found his reluctance to speak odd. He knew he could make noise because he heard him do so on that first day. He's also made a wide range of noises as an animal, so why not speak?

Then again, what did he know about fey? Only rumor and legend. Perhaps the creature's voice had mystical properties? There were records to suggest that some fey did have strange abilities.

"Can you not speak?" he asked.

A reluctant look and a shaking of the head.

"You can speak, but do not wish to?"

A nod.

"Will something bad happen if you do?" He suddenly thought of that horrible scream he'd heard in the wood and those dead men.

A more vigorous nod.

"Well, I guess we'll have to find another way to communicate. Although, I warn you I'm not much of a conversationalist either. Most times I bore people to tears. Can you read or write?"

Head shaking.

'Well this is going to be awkward,' he thought. Then, he noticed the other's eyelids were starting to droop heavily. "If you can change back into a cat, you're more than welcome to sleep on my bed. You don't have to worry, I'll watch over you. I won't let anything happen to you."

The sprite gave him a sleepy little smile and melted into the form of a mottled cat again. This time, he remembered to keep the bandage with him so it reappeared in his cat form, still snug to the leg.

Wufei picked him up from the table and laid him gently on the bed. Unable to resist, he stroked the cat's fur and had a flutter in his stomach when the cat purred for him.

"If only I could speak cat," he whispered quietly to the sleeping animal.


	3. Chapter 3

Mind, Body and Soul - Three

He dreamt of fire again.

"_Mother!" The smoke was burning his eyes and lungs, making it hard to breathe. His small cry made no sound over the blaze. "Mother!"_

_The flames were so loud. They were talking to him, roaring at him, telling him they were going to eat him. Afraid, he tried to run away, but something was holding his legs down. "Mother! Help!" _

Wufei woke with a quick jerk of his limbs.

Recognizing that he was in the same room he'd slept in for years, he tried to get his heart rate and breathing to slow only to have it hitch back up when he realized he couldn't move for real.

A dead weight was keeping his legs pinned apart under the covers. Levering himself up onto his elbows, he saw a tri-colored blob of fur resting between his knees keeping them from coming together. Amidst all of the fur was a pair of eyes that seemed luminescent in the pre-dawn light.

Those expressive eyes were watching him, and Wufei had to ruthlessly crush a few fanciful notions that the stunning looking sprite felt anything more than passing concern. The priest gave his guest a tired smile.

"Good morning," he said, but he ended up yawning halfway through it. Contagiously, the cat yawned back at him, flashing tiny pointed teeth at him.

"Meorrrr," it responded.

He grinned at the greeting. His guest had slept most of the previous day and past the evening meal. During the short time he was awake, the sprite continued to respond like a cat, even when he had two legs. Although he had no clue as to what was being said, his expressive face was able to give Wufei a fair approximation of his meaning.

While the other rested, Wufei had slipped down to the archives to find out what information they had on the Fey. Most of it was just assumptions and folk tales with no real concrete research. He shouldn't have been surprised. Even when the Fey were more common, they were still rare to see. The little bit of research that he did find was sketchy and didn't offer him any more information than he already knew.

At one point in his reading, he looked up to check on his patient only to find him nose to nose. He was so close that Wufei's eyes crossed in the effort to focus on him. Startled, the priest yelled and fell off his stool on to the stone floor. Ouch. It didn't help when he looked up to find the cause of his fall holding in his laughter.

Beautiful as he was, it seemed there was an underlying devilment in the Fey. He could plainly see the amusement and mischief in those eyes, even while he politely held out his hand to help Wufei up. He made a note to be more careful from now on. He was a priest. He was supposed to be dignified. He was not here for some Fey's amusement.

Sore and flustered, Wufei took the opportunity to check his leg and was surprised to see that it had healed considerably. The young priest put an inordinate amount of focus and concentration on the wound in order to keep his eye from wandering. Being normally curious by nature, he'd seen other nude bodies before, but that was mainly to see how they differed from him. For the first time, he found himself desiring to look at another solely for the pleasure of looking at them, and it was taking all of his will not to give in to that desire.

In fact, his eyes were still blindly glued to the scabbing where the arrow hit long after he was done checking it. Breathing heavier than necessary, he tossed the odd fabric pants back at the sprite, never noticing the strange, slightly amused look he got.

Sometimes Wufei felt he should pinch himself to see if what was happening was real. At times, the elation he felt would be so great he thought would burst from it, and other times, it would overwhelm him so much he was numb. Mix in a healthy dose of lust and attraction, and you had one very confused priest. Not that it mattered. Soon, his new friend would leave him and return to wherever it was sprites lived. The thought left him feeling empty.

Claws gently probed at his leg, bringing his mind to the here and now. "Meow?" the feline head was tilted to the side and there was still a look of concern in those eyes. He could very nearly hear the question '_are you alright?' _

"Don't worry. I just had a bad dream. I used to have them when I was little. I guess yesterday's excitement must have dug them up."

Ears perked forward for him to continue, but Wufei didn't particularly want to dwell on such memories at the moment.

The young priest would have loved nothing better than to waste the little amount of time they had left together just lying like they were but his bladder and stomach were demanding he move. Before he left the warmth of his bed, he gave in to one last urge to pet the disguised cat.

Smiling, he reached over and stroked the cat's head. He was rapidly becoming addicted to the euphoria caused by the cat's purring, but this time it caused an entirely new sensation with their current positions when he felt the rumbling purr through his thighs and groin.

His eyes squeezed shut and toes curled tight from the vibrations in his lower region making his pulse leap. With a force of will he didn't know he possessed, he let go of the cat and scooted out of the bed before its other occupant noticed any other body parts eagerly responding to the purring.

His escape from embarrassment was short lived when he looked down at the chamber pot that he needed to relive himself in. Sighing in acceptance, he tried to angle his body with his back to his guest while also trying to angle himself to compensate for _other_ problems he was having.

He tried to act casual about such an everyday activity, but there was nothing he could do about the heat in his face or the awkward pose he was forced to perform. For a moment, he almost thought the sprite hadn't noticed until he turned around and looked into his face.

His feline ears were skewed at different angles and he even managed to make it look like he had an eyebrow raised. The whole look just screamed '_what under the sun are you getting up tight over taking a leak for?'_

Then the evil beast grinned at him. Actually grinned at him as if he knew why Wufei was so uncomfortable. Monster. Beautiful monster to be sure, but monster never the less.

Coughing awkwardly he did his best to hide his embarrassment. "Do you need to…? You know…?" he asked waiving stupidly at the pot.

This produced a revolted "Mrreahhh!" sound. Which Wufei easily interpreted as a resounding 'No!' making the awkwardness of the moment even more piercing. This was going to go down as one of those awkward moments in life that he would always wish he could forget but would be always cursed to remember.

Fortunately, they were both saved from further discomfort when they heard a knock at the door.

He made one quick look about the room and at the cat he made sure there was nothing present to tell there was a Fey in the room with them. Reassured, he opened the door to Quatre and Heero.

"Good morning, Wufei. We were wondering if you would like to join us breaking our fast," Quatre greeted. Although his tone was pleasant, there was something missing in it. The spirit priest seemed strained. And there was an odd intensity about him making Wufei uneasy.

"Quatre, Heero. I was going to just eat something in my room. Is something wrong?" he asked, allowing them into his room.

"Heero and I were talking last night about what happened to you yesterday. Those men you found. No one has any idea how they died. There wasn't a mark on them. It got us to thinking." The fair haired spirit priest broke off his thought.

Thinking? Thinking what, he wondered. Instead of continuing, Heero moved forward and took hold of his face to examine the cut on his cheek. "We could have lost you yesterday." Wufei watched as Heero's eyes moved from the cut to rove freely over his face before lingering on his mouth. The intense way the man was looking at his mouth made is breathing speed up and Wufei was shocked when he felt the other man's thumb rub across his bottom lip possessively.

"Heero? Wha-mmmrph!" Heero crushed his mouth to Wufei's, pushing his tongue into the still open mouth to steal a taste.

'_A kiss. My first kiss._' His mind reeled. In the past, there had been some who had made a few lame and sometimes unwanted attempts to kiss him, but by comparison those couldn't even be called kisses.

His cursed thirst for knowledge rose to the forefront at the thought of finally experiencing an act that was considered so important to others.

The first thing he noticed was that Heero's eyes were closed. Wondering if he was doing something wrong right from the start, he allowed his own eyes to drift closed and focused on the kiss.

Wet. His first observation was that kisses were wet. Wet, but still nice. Curious, he allowed Heero to take more control. Accepting, Heero eagerly kept dipping his tongue into Wufei's mouth as if he was going to uncover some great mystery in there. He had no way of knowing if Heero had found what he was looking for, but the body priest changed his hold to grip his waist tightly and now was trying to use that same tongue to encourage Wufei's into action.

He tried a few probes of his own and was thinking he was starting to get the hang of it when he heard a growl from the area of his bed. The reminder of his guest made him lose complete interest in the kiss.

Embarrassed and ashamed, he pushed Heero away from him awkwardly, feeling a twinge of guilt when he saw the confused look on the other priest's face. He was almost afraid to look at the sprite, but he did so anyway.

The cat was crouched low on his bed with his ears folded back flat against his head and he was growling low in his throat at Quatre, who was trying to pet him.

Quatre gave the two of them a tremulous grin. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to see how the cat was doing."

As if Wufei couldn't feel any worse, it occurred to him that not only did he practically lead Heero on and kissed him in front of the fey, he also did it in front of Quatre. There's no way it would have been easy for him to watch the man he loved kiss another. "Quatre, I'm sorry," he began, but the blond held up a hand to stop any further apology.

"Don't be. I want this to happen. Although it is strange to see Heero kiss someone else, I know that I'm going to have to share him with someone sooner or later. I'd rather that someone be you," Quatre said calmly, before coming forward to brush his lips against Wufei's. As soon as the touch happened, Wufei backed away from it as inconspicuously as he could.

"I'm sorry. I know you two have been patient waiting for me to make up my mind, and I'm sorry if it seems like I'm giving you mixed signals, but I'm just not ready yet," he explained to them. Then, he added, "I need a little more time –not that there was anything wrong with that kiss! It was nice, my first ever in fact- but there are a few other things I need to work through first." Like the fact that he what he felt for them would never be enough to be a trifectum.

They both made noises like they understood and left his room telling him they'd stop by later.

If that kiss taught him anything other than how to kiss, it was that he didn't feel enough for them to ever truly be a part of them. On some level, he always knew that, but to have it verified so strongly hurt a little.

He turned to look at the cat on the bed who didn't appear too pleased with him at the moment. Strange that he would feel more for a creature he barely knew than attractive men he'd known for years. Just being in the same room with him did more to Wufei than that kiss ever did.

"I suppose you were wondering what that was about." He had no idea how he was going to explain it, but he felt that he needed to. The sprite may not care either way but it mattered to Wufei that he knew the truth of the situation.

"This is an abbey of the Holy Trinity. We dedicate ourselves to respecting and honing the three gifts the great creator gave mankind. Mind, body and spirit." 'A_nd fey kind? What did they get?"_ he asked himself.

"As we get older we are expected to use our knowledge to help guide others. We must join with a priest of the other two aspects before we can do this." He looked at the cat, who twitched its ears to confirm it was still listening to him.

"Those two wish for me to join with them but I don't think I can." He was going to continue further, but the cat got to its feet and started sniffing the air and looking around.

That was the only warning he got before being grabbed from behind and thrown into the wall, knocking the wind out of him.

The cat let out a screech and changed into his original form, but Wufei was still busy trying to clear the spots in front of his eyes and see his attacker clearly to notice.

When he felt two sharp points dig into his throat, he went completely still.

"I'll kill you for touching him," a quiet voice rasped in his ear. "He is mine!" The last word sounded less like a word and more like an animal's growl.

His sprite let out a yowl and pulled the hand that was at his throat away, hugging both arms around it tightly to keep it from going back to tear Wufei's throat out.

Looking down at the hand, the priest could see it carried no weapon. Rather it had fingernails shaped like sharp pointed claws. Wufei followed the arm up to the head and face of his attacker.

A heavy forelock of hair obscured most of his face. He could see abnormally long pointed ears and fangs. Under all of the hair, he was able to see one bright green eye glaring at him hatefully.

The other sprite. The one he'd seen in wolf form. And it looked like he was going to blame Wufei for his friend getting hurt.


	4. Chapter 4

Well I don't know about anyone else, but I've had a hell of a time trying to get these 2 chapters posted.

Mind, Body and Spirit – Chapter 4

Wufei held perfectly still while he watched his new friend hanging from the arm of the taller and angrier sprite. The newcomer easily shook him off and lunged back at Wufei once again pushing his claws into the tender throat hard enough to draw blood.

"What did you do to him?" the sprite demanded in a harsh growl.

The priest opened and closed his mouth a few times before a sound could be coaxed out. "Nothing!" he gasped.

"You lie. The scent of his body and blood are all over you." The tone of his attacker made it sound like he was engaging in some lewd perversion against the other's will. The priest gaped at his attacker for a moment. The thought of hurting his friend was so inconceivable that it took his brain a few seconds to catch up and realize what he was being accused of doing just that.

"He was hurt," he grit through his teeth. "He was shot by hunters, so I brought him back here to clean his wound." Apparently being shot by hunters wasn't any better because his attacker redoubled his efforts.

Looking over, he saw his friend was back to dangling from other fey's wrist but this time he wasn't able to make the claws budge away from Wufei's throat. His friend was also emitting a near frantic series of chirps, warbles, yowls and hisses that he hoped was a plea to spare Wufei's life long enough for them to explain what happened.

His suspicions were quickly verified when his attacker spoke to the sprite and not to Wufei.

"I know you think that Duo, but you don't know humans like I do. They are deceitful creatures that only know how to take or destroy."

The young priest would have said something to defend himself if there weren't spots starting to dance in front of his eyes. He did manage to pick up that his opponent called his friend Duo.

Again his sprite, who he now figured was named Duo, spat forth a collection of different animal sounds clearly trying to defend Wufei from being lumped in with other humans like the hunters that shot him.

"He only helped you because he wanted you! That's what they do!" then his opponent turned his glare back on Wufei and said. "I don't know what it is about you that interests him, but you don't fool me. You stink of human lust. I know you want him."

Wufei felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment and tried to think of a response that wouldn't be a lie and wouldn't make him sound like some kind of pervert. He turned to Duo with a look that silently begged him to understand. Instead of looking disgusted or upset, the long haired sprite gave one of those mischievous looks were starting to make the priest nervous.

Before Wufei could translate what the look meant, Duo let out a harsh yowl of pain and slumped, hanging like a dead weight on the other's arm heavily favoring his injured leg.

The act was convincing enough to draw the attention of his attacker away from Wufei and on to Duo. The act was so convincing that even Wufei had to look twice to make sure the wound hadn't reopened or that he'd sustained some new injury he didn't know about.

The newcomer looked torn between tearing Wufei to ribbons and caring for Duo. Playing along, Wufei did his best to try and look as harmless as possible while the grip holding him lightened up a fraction.

Another well timed whimper of pain and the claws were gone. Releasing the priest's throat, the fey picked up Duo and carried him the few steps to the bed laying him on it gently. A quick swipe of claws, and the pants and bandages were lying in shreds leaving Duo once again sitting before him half naked.

The intruder then did something that had Wufei gaping in shock. The green eyed fey made an angry growl low in his throat as he briefly inspected the wound. But instead of trying to heal it like Wufei anticipated, the sprite knelt and began licking it like a mother cat bathing her kitten.

"Don't do that! It'll get infected!" Wufei exclaimed, moving and speaking before he could think better of it.

The sprite pulled back into a low crouch growling low in his throat while green eyes flashed in warning.

Understanding, the priest reluctantly stepped back to his place at the wall. The sprite watched him for another few moments, then as if deciding Wufei was no longer a threat, went back to cleaning the wound with his tongue.

The intimacy between the two screamed at him. The sprite that had just been trying to kill him was now lapping at the wound while Duo stroked his head running his fingers through thick hair. The tender, adoring smile on the longer haired sprite sent Wufei's heart into the floor.

So it was like that. What did he expect, a declaration of undying love and gratitude?

He stood there staring at couple stupidly. Occasionally Duo's fingers would brush back the heavy forelock of the other fey to reveal a face every bit as stunning as Duo's. His throat constricted and he tried swallowing around it while heartbeat throbbed painfully in his chest. As a pair, the two of them presented a picture of raw perfection and Wufei was consumed by loneliness.

Wufei felt another painful stab when Duo started to croon lovingly at his attacker and got an answering croon back, Wufei quickly grasped at an opportunity to escape.

"I- I'm just going to go down to the kitchens for some food." He told them, proud that his voice only quavered a little. "I'll be back soon." _Not that anyone cares_ he added to himself.

Sliding along the wall to the door he slipped out doubting either one of them even noticed.

Wufei took as many back hallways as he could to the kitchens. Unlike Duo, the wound on his cheek was still fresh and new and he didn't feel like talking to anyone about it. Instead he felt like wallowing in self pity.

No wonder he was attacked. The pair was so clearly a couple they almost could compete with Quatre and Heero. Problem was he didn't feel anything for Quatre and Heero.

To be fair he didn't feel all that friendly to Duo's other half either, but the fey was undeniably attractive. He wondered if he would have felt anything if he wasn't fighting for his life when they met.

"Good morning Wufei." Howard greeted him companionably when he walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning." Wufei nodded in return. "I just thought I'd see if you had anything that I could take back to my room." He added explaining his presence in the kitchen as opposed to the dinning hall where everyone else was.

"Ah yes I heard about your little adventure yesterday. It caused quite a stir, especially when they found those men dead without a mark on them." He said while setting up a tray with tea, and a fresh loaf of bread. He even added a few of his sweet cakes knowing Wufei's fondness for them.

Thankfully, Howard was used to him taking food and locking himself away with his studies, so he always gave him a little extra. "Those books of yours won't bother reminding you to feed yourself" he once said. At least this way he'd have a little extra for his 'guests'

A voice below his ear nearly made Wufei jump out of his skin. "Looks like your cut is healing nicely, but then again you always did heal pretty quickly." It rasped.

Wufei reluctantly looked at the man standing beside him. He was supposedly the head of the spirit order, but he gave Wufei the shivers. He wasn't sure if he imagined it, but there was always something about him and his partners Demail and Dekim that made his flesh creep.

"Good morning Septum. The cut was not very deep to begin with, so it was easy to clean." He greeted, keeping his tone perfectly bland with practiced ease.

"Really? I heard that needed stitches." The older man leaned in close enough that Wufei could feel the man's breath on his cheek and the young priest resisted the urge to back away in revulsion at the closeness.

"I've also heard a great deal of wild speculation what happened to the men you found. Everything from poison to plague. I've even heard a few think it's the Fey." He said looking intently at Wufei.

On the edge of his vision, he saw Howard scowl darkly. "Ah leave off him you gossiping old coot! You're worse than the innkeeper's wife!"

Septum stiffened and scowled back. One of the other reasons why Wufei liked Howard was because he seemed to have the same distaste for Septum and his partners that Wufei felt. It was very common to see them arguing and when his wife/partner was still alive she would argue just as fervently with them.

Seeing the beginnings of an infamous argument, the young priest grabbed his tray and fled.

This was so foolish! It was his room after all so why was he lingering in the hall like an idiot?

His stomach churned uneasily from the brief image in his mind of walking in on the two of them during a private moment. Waiting until he was sure no one saw him he quietly knocked. Hearing nothing, he slowly entered only to find no one there.

Sighing in disappointment he entered fully and set the tray on the table only to have a brown squirrel scramble on to his lap then jump to the table in front of him chittering wildly at the contents of the tray.

A spider spun down from the rafters after it, jumped, changed and landed in the full form of his attacker. "Stop moving! You need your rest." He admonished the furry little thing that was staring at the sweet cakes with blatant greed.

The tall sprite gripped the squirrel by the scruff of its neck and walked over to dump it back on the bed. He then went back and tore a piece of the bread off and handed it to the now transformed Duo.

By the great creator, Wufei wished they would stop changing forms so much. It was starting to give him a headache.

Duo stared at the hunk of plain bread dubiously. Then he looked up at the sweet cakes still sitting on the tray with longing. Wufei had to suppress the snicker that was trying to work its way out watching the sprite pout at being giving the plain tasting bread instead of the cake.

The tall sprite caught the look and rolled his visible eye in exasperation. He grabbed two cakes passing one to Duo and keeping the other for himself. The long haired sprite brightened visibly and Wufei once again was forced to stop his smile. Obviously Duo had an even bigger sweet tooth than he did.

Wufei stiffened when that one visible eye made contact with his with open distrust. "Duo will stay here to rest for a while until he is strong enough to leave. We should be gone by nightfall." The tall sprite stated bluntly in a tone that brooked no argument.


	5. Chapter 5

I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm sorry! For those of you who have sent reviews and requests, they have not gone unheard. In the past I was lucky if I could sneak a half-hour a day at my computer without interruptions. Now I'm lucky if I can get an hour a week. It took me getting sick to have any free time to write this chapter.

I don't suppose any of you have a way to make a 30 hour day or have a spare winning lottery ticket that you could give me so I don't have to go back to work anymore do you?

….

….

Damn, didn't think so.

I do apologize about the quality of the chapter. It's rushed and completely un-betaed. **OOC warning ahead.**

Mind Body and Spirit - Chapter 5 

Wufei finished his bread and tea in awkward silence sneaking peeks at his odd guests.

Duo was making little pleased noises with every bite of his sweet cake while the other one was tearing into it like it might run away from him if he didn't kill it first.

Beautiful as they both were, this second sprite intimidated Wufei far more than the first. Every time Wufei tried to catch a glance of him, the fey always caught him and growled low in his throat.

After breakfast, the sprite that attacked him picked up the scraps of Duo's odd fabric pants and somehow mended them with his touch before flinging them back at their owner. The young priest sat there gaping "How did you…?" he trailed off when he got yet another glare that clearly told him that he would be wasting his breath if he continued his question. Just another for the growing list of questions he was itching to ask.

It was so frustrating! Beauty aside, he had two incredible specimens of a mystic race that almost nothing was known about and neither one would talk to him!

Which brought forth another question, "How is it you can talk while he cannot?" he asked before he could stop himself.

One green eye glared at him for a few moments before he got an answer. "Duo can speak just fine, you just don't know how to listen." he said coldly.

"I meant human speech." Wufei explained defensively, trying not let the insult get to him. The sprite gave him a look that told him he was about to hear just what the other fey thought about humans and their speech, but a soft reproachful chirp from Duo stopped him.

Rolling his visible eye again, the ill tempered sprite answered with only a touch more civility. "Duo is an imp."

An Imp? Wufei focused his attention on his long haired guest sitting on the bed. None of the information he'd read about imps seemed to coincide with the creature in front of him.

Imps were supposed to be ugly mischievous creatures that came out at night. They were renowned to cause loads of trouble to unwary travelers and were generally considered evil.

Although Duo did appear to have a bit of a mischievous side, he didn't appear to be very harmful or evil and as for being ugly, well… it was blatantly obvious that he was not.

"You don't look like any imp I've ever heard about." He commented.

He didn't expect was the sudden flicker of hurt in the other's expression sparking an immediate outpouring of apologies. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that. Please forgive me, I guess you just didn't fit into the little bit I'd heard about imps. I didn't mean to sound judgmental. I'm certain there are many very nice imps around." He babbled, only partially aware of what he was saying.

The green eyed sprite snorted "Not likely. Duo is an oddity among his own kind."

Since the priest was still looking at Duo, he caught the second flash of hurt that was aimed at the other fey. For a moment Wufei was struck with the urge to retaliate on Duo's behalf, but the other fey must have caught the look too because he immediately launched into a far more in depth explanation.

"Imps don't like anyone else. Even other fey. They call themselves 'Night Fey' and make a habit of avoiding or scaring off all others. Normally their appearance frightens humans, which is one of the reasons why they choose to hide in the night, but occasionally they give birth to a child that looks like an ordinary fey or perhaps even human."

Wufei's gaze shifted between the two sprites noting the differences between them. Although abnormally pretty, Duo could indeed pass for a human, whereas the other's elongated ears and fangs gave him a rather alarming appearance. If anyone in the room looked like an imp, it was him. He even had the bad tempered nature to go with it.

"Normally, they would kill such children." The other's words interrupted the priest's musings.

"What? Why?"

"Because a beautiful imp always carries the curse of death."

On reflex, Wufei looked down at himself checking to see that he was all hale and whole. In the midst of checking himself he realized he was acting foolishly. And then he realized.

"It comes from his voice?" he asked fairly certain of the answer and Duo nodded in confirmation while the other sprite elaborated.

"Sometimes it's by sight, others by touch, but Duo's speaking voice can summon the specter of death to him."

"Which is why he uses the speech of animals." The priest finished. "Were you the one who taught him how to talk like that?"

Wufei was treated to a look that clearly said 'What is with you humans and your questions?' and if it weren't for another odd warble from Duo the priest was sure that he would never have received and answer.

"I first met him when I was out hunting with a wolf pack. When he refused to speak, I taught him how to shape change and speak in those forms."

That statement sparked a thousand new questions in Wufei's head and it was a fight not to ask them all at once.

Still, if they were planning on staying a few more hours… maybe he might just… oh the things he could learn.

Trying not to look too eager, "Perhaps since you are going to be here for a while I should introduce myself. I'm Wufei and you," he said looking at his new friend "are Duo I take it? And you are?" he asked hoping to prompt an appropriate response.

His attacker snorted at him again "Don't bother; I have no intention of becoming familiar with you. I'm only here to protect Duo." His tone suggested that he clearly still believed that it was Wufei he was protecting Duo from.

From his spot on the bed Duo let out what sounded like a cat's yowl with a distinctly admonishing tone and what almost sounded like…

"Trowa?" Wufei murmured to himself trying out the word he was certain he'd heard. The other sprite blinked at him in surprise while Duo bounced excitedly on the bed.

"Is that your name? Trowa?"

"You do know how to listen. You're odd for a human."

It took some effort but over the course of the day Wufei managed to get a remedial understanding of what Duo was saying amidst all of those barks, yowls, chirps and warbles.

It wasn't as if he truly understood the language, nor was it human words in a strange voice. Instead it was more like a feeling of what the imp wanted to say. Almost as if Duo was somehow able to get his thoughts across regardless of what he was saying.

At one point he flat out asked the sprites if their kind could communicate with their thoughts only, but both creatures stared blankly at him showing no understanding of what he was asking of them. And Duo asked him how someone could speak without their mouth.

As soon as Duo could somewhat speak for himself, Trowa almost stopped altogether. As Wufei later learned, a feral sprite's –as his kind was called- behavior was strongly governed by bestial instincts and base needs. Human social skills rated about a fifty on their top ten most important things to know.

Conversely, despite not being able to talk normally, Duo acted like he couldn't get enough of talking. Perhaps being denied speech made him crave it all the more. The long haired imp was eager to answer as many of the priest's questions as he could. Wufei just wished he understood what he was saying better, because his words were still coming across like toddler speech.

He'd found out that the strange fabric of their clothes was actually type of leaf that could be changed, regenerated or repaired with their power for several months until it died.

They didn't have very much of an organized social structure aside from being able to tell the difference between the various types of fey. As near as Wufei could tell, they all lived under the protection and pseudo-reign of a sprite named Treize who was an elemental.

Judging by the hushed way Duo referred to him, elementals were the strongest of the fey and to them fell the responsibility of protecting the other weaker races in their region.

In the past most of those supposed weaker races rarely came into contact the elemental whose territory they lived. They were free to do as they pleased as long as they didn't cause too much trouble that might endanger the others. However over the past several decades, they'd been forced to gather closer to Treize and the other races.

"Why is that?" Wufei asked wondering why a people with such wild and free spirits would agree to congregate together. The way Duo made it sound, being a sprite was paradise.

The faces of both his guests turned somber and there were tints of fear and anger in both of them.

"Because humans started hunting us." Trowa answered. Speaking for the first time since Duo started speaking.

"What?" Wufei was horrified. Then he remembered back to his first meeting with Duo and the odd snare he was trapped in. Until now, he'd let himself believe that his friend had just had an unlucky experience with a regular hunter's snare. But now looking back and remembering the odd silver cord that was cutting into Duo's ankle… the priest suppressed a shudder to realize how close the world had come to losing such a magnificent creature.

Well then again, he could have just let out one of his screams that would have probably killed whoever tried to trap him, but still. Following on the tail of his horror, Wufei became incensed. The more he thought about it the angrier he got. There was no excuse for hunting such magnificent creatures!

"To what purpose could somebody possibly think they could justify such a despicable act?" he ranted to himself. There was nothing… NOTHING!

"Need us- live longer." Duo answered meowing like a cat. Wufei gave him a look similar to the ones they gave him when he asked about speaking with their minds. How could hunting these incredible people make someone live longer? They didn't eat them did they? The thought made his stomach lurch queasily.

"We live longer than you do. And they want that." Trowa growled. Duo shot him an irritated glare and tried to explain.

"Many missing- but not know. One came back. They take part of life. She die later." The imp explained, this time chittering like a squirrel. For some reason, Wufei could understand more when he sounded like a rodent and almost nothing when he chirped like a bird.

"So they somehow drain them of their life?" Wufei asked trying to fit at all in his mind and the other two nodded.

He had read somewhere that the fey lived for centuries, but there was very little information past that. And how would they drain their life?

"Because there's so few of us now, Treize insists that we stay close to him. Speaking of which, we had better return soon." Trowa said while looking at the angle of the sun shining in the room's tiny window. It was almost dinnertime. They had been talking straight through most of the day.

Wufei watched as Duo melted into his cat form again quickly remembering to add a far more prominent leg injury than the imp really had. Trowa looked like he was about to change forms when the priest felt an overwhelming surge of dizziness and the room tilted on its axis. Duo gave a distressed yowl and Trowa dropped into a low defensive crouch.

It took a moment for the young priest to shake off the odd feeling. When the six dancing sprites dissolved back into two stationary ones he was struck by their matching expressions of alarm.

"What? What was that?"

"Treize made wall!" Duo exclaimed once again in his original form. His overlarge eyes were rolling wildly.

"Huh?"

"Treize has put up a protective barrier." Trowa explained scanning the room as if something dangerous was going to pop out of every corner. "He said he might have to. Something must have happened."

"Maybe he thinks you've been taken? We have to get you back to show your okay."

"Fool!" Trowa growled. "There is no going back! Not until spring! Treize won't consider opening the barrier until after the winter and we're trapped outside!"


	6. Chapter 6

Yay! I did it! Another chapter! Yay me!

…

Okay so maybe it's not so impressive for you but for me it's a big accomplishment.

Thank you again for all of the reviews love you all!

Mind Body and Spirit – Chapter 6

Wufei and Duo watched as Trowa paced the room like a caged animal. A quick glance told the priest that the imp was just as afraid to say anything as he was. It was clear that the feral blamed them for the two fey being trapped outside of the barrier. Eventually Trowa stopped and gave Duo an unreadable look.

"Let's go Duo. We need to find a place to stay for the winter. I'm sure there was an abandoned fox den nearby that we could use."

Before he could hide it, the imp gave a flinch/wince and rose from his seat with great reluctance. Wufei couldn't blame him. The thought of spending the winter in a cold, dirty and probably damp fox den didn't appeal to him either.

Knowing he was probably going to get his head bit off anyway, the priest added his own thoughts "You're welcome to stay here with me. I don't have a lot of room, but it's warm and food would be easier to come by."

Again Duo didn't hide his reaction from the others too well. He was clearly far more enthusiastic about Wufei's suggestion rather than Trowa's.

"No!" Trowa snapped. "It's because of him that we're out here! And I am not spending a winter surrounded by humans! Their smell is bad enough, but they're also trying to hunt us. Or have you forgotten about that?"

"This is a holy order," Wufei defended "we don't even hunt our own meat. It's purchased from the local town. I'm sure you would be safe. The only problem would be that you would have to keep your animal shapes to avoid anyone seeing you." Even while he was he was debating with the sprite a part of Wufei was adamantly refuting all of his points.

What was he thinking? It would be near impossible to hide these two! Even as animals it would still be risky. It would be far safer for them to live out the winter in a fox den. Truthfully, his reasons for keeping them in the abbey were purely selfish.

Ever since the first moment he saw Duo his voracious mind was eager for more information on them. He was already itching to put pen to ink and record all that he had seen so far, although he had no idea what he would do with it since all of the writings on sprites were ancient. Everyone would wonder where he'd found this new information.

He also had to admit that a part of him just wanted them there. Even the bad tempered feral. Ever since Heero kissed him he'd become aware of a loneliness that he'd never known he had. All of this time he'd been happy in his books and learning. He never noticed the void in him until today.

Still, Duo and Trowa were obviously together. Would he really feel less lonely watching the two of them together? The priest looked over and caught Duo gnawing on his lip as if trying to decide which was better, warmth and food, or safety.

Sighing, even Wufei had to admit staying with them would be a bad idea. "Perhaps it would be best if you did go, but I would be grateful if you would come to visit me on occasion so I can know you're safe."

The imp gave him a surprised and almost hurt look that the priest was so willing to send him away. For that reason Wufei allowed his regret to show openly and Duo chittered a promise that he would return which helped ease the budding ache in the priest's chest.

Trowa also seemed surprised that Wufei would change his mind and agree with him so easily. His one visible eye widened slightly then narrowed in renewed distrust when Duo promised to return.

The three of them looked at each other and came to a mutual agreement. Duo shifted into his tri-colored cat form, remembering to add the leg wound after Wufei reminded him. Trowa chose to transform into a mouse and looked ready to be chased out of the abbey by Duo, but Wufei had other plans and picked both of them up and carried them out.

For having a mouse-face Trowa did manage to give a very effective dirty look.

Wufei was miserable.

He'd thought he'd managed to hide his loneliness pretty well for the first few weeks after the sprites left, but then the heavy snows hit and he began to worry on top everything else.

The snows were heavier than they had been in decades leaving the abbey so cold that everyone in it kept trying to find tasks that kept them near the fireplaces. On especially cold nights like tonight, Wufei had Howard keep a few large rocks by the kitchen hearth all day so he could heat his room and bed at night.

He was just in the process of placing the burning hot stones on his bed trying to be careful not to touch them directly when he was distracted by a noise at his door.

Opening it he was greeted with the most miserable excuse for a mottled cat. There were clumps of snow stuck to its fur and its ears and tail were drooping sadly.

"Duo?" he asked excitedly and not only did the ears perked up, but the cat was clawing its way up him like he was a tree.

Wufei winced as claws bit into his thigh and scooped the cat into his arms to avoid any damage to higher parts. The imp snuggled into him closely and it was then that the priest noticed how badly the cat was shivering.

Kicking the door shut, he quickly tried to change his hold to cover more of the cat but apparently Duo had another idea in mind because he changed into a squirrel and burrowed his way under his priest robes. He gasped in shock when the feeling of ice cold rodent hit his bare chest but held tightly trying to warm the little creature up.

His emotions were threatening to overpower him. It took all his effort not to hug the imp to death. The gaping void that had been taunting him for weeks felt like it was now bubbling over. Eventually the tremors in the tiny body stopped and Wufei heard a small squeaky sigh of contentment. "Are you okay Duo?"

"Cold." The lump on his chest complained. The priest tried rubbing said lump to help thaw him out. Again he was struck with the intense urge to hug his friend and at one point Duo chirped in protest that the vigorous rubbing was getting too rough. As loathe as he was to let the imp go he thought it better to release him before he really hurt him. "Duo, would you like something to eat?"

A disgruntled sound came up though his robes that didn't need translation. He found his face wanting to twist into a grin knowing the imp was as content snuggled into Wufei as the priest was with him.

Reaching down the front of his robes, he extracted the protesting blob of fur and placed him next to one of the hot rocks.

"Here you can stay warm next to this while I get something for you to eat." Duo didn't look pleased, but that didn't stop him from requesting a sweet cake before he left.

Once out of the room it was difficult for him to disguise his elation to passers by. Making his way quickly down to the kitchens, Wufei was hoping to get in and get out as quickly as possible. Unfortunately someone else had other plans.

Rounding the corner he had to stagger to a halt to avoid running into Muler.

"Getting something to help warm yourself tonight?" Muler asked taking note of Wufei's direction.

"Yes." The mind priest was tempted to ignore the question, but his manners demanded a response.

As Wufei feared, the ambitious spirit priest took that as an invitation to keep talking. "You know, there are other ways one can keep warm on a night such as this." He said while eyeing Wufei suggestively.

The mind priest barely concealed a shudder of revulsion. Muler was one half of another pair like Quatre and Heero only in Alex and Muler's case, Wufei couldn't stand being in the room with them. They were arrogant, ambitious, and painfully stupid in his opinion.

Feigning equal stupidity, Wufei pretended like he had no idea what the other priest was suggesting. "Actually I was just on my way to get a late dinner. If you'll excuse me."

"Dinner? I'm sure I saw that lovely face of yours in the dinning hall tonight. That clod Heero didn't take all of the food at your table did he? I pity the poor fool who joins with that useless lump and he even more useless lover."

Wufei almost laughed in his face. Who was he to call anyone useless? Manners be damned, he had no time to spend with fools who couldn't comprehend the world outside of themselves when Duo was waiting in his room! He didn't even bother acknowledging the rude comment further than a disdainful snort before leaving a surprised Muler in his wake.

Rummaging through the kitchens, the young priest acknowledged Howard's greeting with little more than a curt nod. Most of the food from dinner was either gone or put away. He couldn't find any cheese or meat, but he did manage to find the heel of a loaf of bread and a sweet cake that was starting to feel a little stale from sitting out all day.

He winced at the food he had to offer the sprite and hoped that by adding some warm tea it would be enough for now. Turning to fetch the kettle he stopped by Howard holding a tray with hot soup and a cup of tea on it. Howard gave him a mildly sardonic look when Wufei looked at him in surprise.

"I've been here since long before you were born and there is always someone –usually of the Mind order- who stays up 'til all hours of the night working on something. So now I always keep a kettle of hot water and a pot of soup just for them."

"Thank you Howard." He said gratefully. "You're always looking out for us."

For a moment Howard's expression darkened and a frighteningly intense look came into his eyes. "I will always look out for you kid." The sudden loss of levity sent a chill down the younger man's spine but it was gone as quickly as it came.

Nodding uneasily to Howard one last time he took the tray and practically sprinted back to his room hoping Duo hadn't given up waiting for him.

Knocking gently he eased open the door and his heart sank when he saw his room was completely empty. Then he remembered the last time he went to get food and re-scanned the room. "It's okay you can come out now. It's just me. I brought you something to eat." he called then walked over to the table to put the tray down.

He was just in the action of turning around to try and find his guest when he was glomped from the side by a full sized imp. The young priest managed to hold off for all of two and a half seconds before returning the embrace fully. Trying to get as much out of the experience as he could, he noticed that the imp didn't smell like he should. Given the circumstances he should have smelled like wet fur, but instead his scent reminded Wufei of rainfall.

As much as he wanted to indulge a little longer, he regretfully let go when the imp started to pull away.

"Miss me?" he meowed and Wufei let out a huff of laughter.

"Very much. Are you okay? I brought you some food."

The imp quickly zeroed in on the sweet cake and snatched it away before Wufei could say otherwise.

"Duo, you should really eat the soup. It will help warm you and it's better for you."

The imp looked at the bowl uncertainly and gave a few sniffs at it. Cautiously, he stuck his finger in the soup and yanked it back immediately with a cry of alarm.

"Hot!" he cried then looked at Wufei silently asking him why he would tell him to do something that so obviously hurt him.

"It's soup. Haven't you ever had soup before?"

Duo shook his head adamantly no.

"Oh well it's a supposed to be a hot food that you…" by the creator, how was he supposed to explain soup? Perhaps it would be better just to show him. Taking the spoon he scooped up a small portion of the soup and blew on it gently to cool it a little. Then making a big show of his actions, he ate the spoonful.

"There see? You don't have to touch it with your hands." He scooped up another serving and blew on it before holding it out to his guest.

Again Duo looked at the food uncertainly expecting another trick but after a few moments he came up to sip the contents of the spoon.

Although it was definitely cooled, it was obvious to Wufei that the imp was not used to heated food because he promptly hung his tongue out of his mouth with his eyes crossed trying to look down at it.

The priest bit the insides of his lips to keep from laughing out but he couldn't hide the tremor in his shoulders. Fortunately, the imp was too involved in trying to decide if he liked the new food. He must have come to the conclusion that it was okay because he eventually propped his mouth open like a baby bird waiting for Wufei to feed him the next portion.

Feeling silly the priest kept feeding his guest until the bowl was clean using the bread to catch the last remains. When that was done Duo happily returned to his stale sweet cake caring very little about its dried out state. At some point he had to make sure he asked about the dietary needs of the Fey. The last thing he wanted to do was make his friend sick.

Of course if Duo was relying on Trowa to feed him, his diet was probably similar to that of a wild animal. Perhaps other sprites ate cooked food.

Looking extremely content and not bothering to wait for an invitation, Duo changed into his cat form and curled up on Wufei's bed. He was asleep in seconds.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who sent reviews! Once again, apologies for the un-betaed quality.

I'm trying very hard to get chapters out faster even if it doesn't look like it. For those of you who are worried about some of my other fics lack of updates fear not! I have never abandoned a story yet and I don't intend to start. It may take longer than I like, but I will get done. I will!

For fun the next few chapters will include excerpts from Wufei's notes and observations of The Fey.

Mind Body and Spirit – Chapter 7

_-- The Fey have many subspecies that they use to identify their position in the larger social structure. The largest and most obvious difference is the 'Day' and 'Night' Fey or 'Sprites' and 'Imps' as they are more commonly known as._

_Sprites are renowned for their beauty and although recent hunting by humans has made them more shy and reclusive, they are still the more sociable of the two groups. Imps on the other hand are known for their mischievous even antisocial behavior and appear very decidedly non-human and in many cases frightening. _

_In between these two major groups there is also very rare subspecies of imp that shares the characteristics of both species. For this reason we will call them Twilight Fey. _

_The Twilight Fey are born to Imps and share their mischievous nature, but unlike imps the Twilight Fey has the beauty and sociability of a Sprite. The most significant characteristic of the Twilight Fey is the curse of death they carry. They can kill instantly using touch, sight or sound. Because of this, they are often shunned or even killed by their own kind… -- _

_An excerpt of Father Wufei's Studies of the Fey _

* * *

"Duo, where is Trowa?" Wufei asked the imp yet again.

Over the past three days since appearing at his door, the priest had asked this same question in a variety of ways and was still unable to get a decent answer.

Indeed as if the imp was loosing patience with him, Duo rolled his eyes and gave him a hard 'not this again' look. "_Sleeping._" He answered laying heavy emphasis on the word.

Sleeping. That was what he said each time before too. The first day after the imp had arrived Wufei spent on eggshells waiting for a grumpy feral to come barging in claws and fangs at the ready. When he didn't show at all during the day the priest spent a very exhausting night jumping awake at every sound.

By the end of the following day when the feral still failed to show he was starting to worry. What if he'd been caught in one of those snares? He may not be particularly fond of the sprite, but he didn't want him dead.

Knowing the constant questioning was starting to irritate his guest; he had to get more details. "I know you said he was sleeping Duo, but sooner or later he has to wake up and he's going to come here looking for you."

Duo leveled him another look that clearly showed how irritating it was to interrupt his exploration of the abbey for the same question. "Not wake. Not spring." He explained as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

Wufei paused to digest this new bit of information. He was getting better at communicating with Duo, but sometimes things still did not translate well. "Not spring? Duo, are you saying he's _hibernating?_" he asked suddenly thinking of a perfectly good reason he could be sleeping for three days straight. Strange that to Duo hadn't mentioned that little detail earlier. Surely he could see there was a significant difference between sleeping for the night and sleeping for months. But then again maybe only humans felt the need to differentiate and name everything.

The imp rolled his eyes emphatically his whole appearance screamed 'finally!' "Yes. _Sleeping_." He concurred and this time Wufei caught the slightly bitter undertone that he'd missed all the previous times. The priest could have been mistaken, but there seemed to be a disgusted edge to his response and it didn't take long to figure out why.

Ever since his arrival, the imp had been enthusiastically exploring everything he saw. It was like caring for a dozen children at once. He got into everything and his curiosity rivaled Wufei's. Duo found even the smallest things fascinating. Wufei's books, his quill, his candles and flint, everything in his room met with Duo's intense examination and sometimes destruction. When he wasn't exercising his curiosity, the imp found entertainment in being an imp. This naturally meant terrorizing Wufei.

If there was something the priest needed it would not be unusual to eventually find it hiding in the rafters. And there were more than a few ink blots on his notes caused when Duo chose an inopportune moment to jump on him and scare a few years off his life. He had learned quickly not to leave Duo in his room unsupervised for more than a few minutes. He shuddered when he remembered the state he'd found his room in and vowed never to keep the imp in a confined location again. Not if he wanted it intact.

Over the past three days most of the priest's awe of the imp (and none of the attraction) had faded and been replaced with cautious amusement and his guests antics. From what he'd seen so far it wouldn't be too hard to guess the imp's feelings about being cooped up in a fox den and asked to sleep for months.

"Duo you didn't just leave him there sleeping did you?" he asked then not waiting for the answer he continued "You can't just leave him there, he cares about you. How do you think he is going feel when he wakes to find you missing? He's probably going to come charging in here again thinking he has to rescue you from me."

Wufei watched the long haired fey as he processed this new information. He didn't want to lecture his new friend and watching that beautiful face twist into a frown of uncertainty caused him to pause for a moment before continuing.

"It will probably upset him greatly when he finds out you left him on purpose. Did you even tell him you were leaving?"

At that some the uncertainty went out of Duo and he gave a stubborn look. "I tried but he's sleeping! He always sleeping." He finished in a miserable look filling in the last of Wufei's questions.

Now the priest could easily piece together what happened. Duo probably had tried to put an effort into hibernating.

_A few weeks worth_ he thought to himself but it was just too far from his nature. He might have even waited around a day or two to see if Trowa would wake to join him again and when the other wouldn't wake, he left.

_Trowa is going to kill me._ Wufei resigned himself that sooner or later he was going to find those claws again at his throat someday soon. Well this time he would be more prepared. He hadn't given up the exercises the body priests had taught him; maybe he could just intensify his studies. Heero would certainly be willing to help him, but then he might give him the impression of acceptance. Maybe Rashid, or Zechs would help.

"Alright Duo, time to change. I have some people I need to talk to." And they left the room. Padding beside him Duo kept meowing "Cake?"

* * *

Not at all to his surprise, but sooner than he expected the feral sprite showed up. Five sevenday after Duo arrived.

He was busy recording some of the observations on the fey when he caught sight of Duo perking up to sniff the air. Just as the imp's face started to break into a smile a mouse crawled under Wufei's door and instantly transformed into a very grouchy looking Trowa.

"Where is he?" he growled his voice sounded raspy from lack of use over the past several weeks.

Wufei, who this time had enough warning, had got up to stand in the centre of the room so he would be ready to handle any attack. The attack came, but it was surprisingly clumsy and awkward. Not the least bit like the graceful and strong movements he'd seen before. With rapidly growing concern, the priest dodged the attack and did a quick survey of the feral and compared it to what he remembered. His movements were definitely not steady, and his eyes had a vacant unfocused look. He looked like a man that had been heavy into a wine barrel.

"Duo is right there." He pointed to the imp who was staying out of the way of the other two.

Bleary eyed, the feral tried to re-focus on the third occupant of the room, but was clearly surprised to find him there. He'd have been comical if Wufei didn't know how deadly he was.

Duo smiled brilliantly and glomped Trowa. "Trowa! You wake up!" he chittered excitedly. "I'm okay, see? Wufei stay with me while you sleep. And he show me words! See?" the imp bounced over to the bed to pick up a small slate that he'd been working on. "It says cat!"

"Cat." The feral repeated hollowly as if he had no idea what word meant and the priest noted that he was swaying slightly. Giving his head a shake to clear the stupor, Trowa managed to collect enough thoughts together. "You're okay? You're reading?" but no sooner were the words out than his visible eye went unfocused again.

Wufei moved closer to the sprite "Yes, I needed to find something to distract him while I was working or I would never get any thing done. I had also hoped that it would help our communic- Trowa!"

The sprite had started to nod his head in agreement on the need to find something to distract Duo. On the upswing of his nod though his eyes rolled back into his head and he started to crumple to the floor. Wufei caught him before he hit and Duo was beside him a fraction of a second later.

"Is he hurt?" he asked Duo, looking for any visible injuries. The imp was looking deeply upset until they both heard the faint sound of a snore.

"Sleeping." Duo said disgustedly although there was a healthy dose of fond amusement as well. Apparently the feral hadn't managed to completely pull himself out of his hibernation. The two of them carefully laid the sprite on the bed while Wufei tried to work through this new complication.

Everyone had readily accepted Duo as 'Wufei's cat' or 'the cat Wufei rescued' but if he suddenly acquired a new pet he'd probably get into trouble. As it was the current problem was that he wasn't even an animal. How were they going to hide him?

"Duo, we need to get him to change forms. Can you do it for him?" he asked and was not relived when Duo shook his head at him. "Is there any way to wake him up?"

They proceeded to spend a good part of the afternoon trying to rouse the sprite. They tried everything from shaking, to talking, to splashing him with water. At one point Wufei got fed up and slapped him but the sprite only frowned a little.

"Any more ideas?" Wufei asked disheartened.

"Food?"

The priest smiled at that. "Is that all you think about?" he teased.

"He wake up a little bit with water." Duo said defensively.

_That's right he did_ Wufei remembered. He even licked the water off his lips.

That evening in the dinning hall he set aside some extra food. He'd been getting pretty good at it since he had to feed Duo, but it was getting awkward to hide his extra food stores.

At least he was getting help feeding Duo. Everyone had noticed that Wufei never went anywhere without the cat and it had become almost a new form of competition for Wufei's attention by trying to attract the attention of his cat.

Quatre spent half his dinner trying to entice Duo with a piece of dried fish still perplexed at the cat's lack of affection for him when all other animals loved him. Wufei could have easily told him how to make Duo his best friend, but it would have ruined Duo's disguise if anyone saw him eating sweet cakes. I quiet word from the mind priest, and Duo daintily accepted the strip of fish between his teeth. Quatre was delighted, while Duo gave Wufei a dirty look.

Back in their room Wufei was faced with yet another problem. How to feed a sleeping sprite?

He tried waving it under Trowa's nose but got no response. He tried breaking off small pieces and putting them into his mouth only to have them fall out. He did have another idea, but there was no way he was going to do it.

"Duo, I need you to put this in your mouth and then using your mouth, put it into his." At Duo's confused look he tried to explain better. "Like a mother bird does with her chicks." He explained.

Misunderstanding, Duo changed himself into a bird. Now his whole body was smaller than Trowa's mouth. Completely unhelpful. "No, what I mean is… oh damnation… here!"

Taking a small sip of tea into his mouth he leaned over the sleeping sprite using one hand to slightly pry open his bottom jaw. He moved close enough that he was brushing the tip of his nose on the other's cheek.

Like Duo, Trowa didn't smell at all like he should. Sleeping for months should have made him smell like sweat and bad breath, but instead he had a cool vegetal smell. Like moss and fresh cut herbs. The priest gave into the small urge to sniff at the prone figure. This close he could see the feral was easily as beautiful as his imp mate. Catching his wayward and very inappropriate thoughts, the priest steeled himself for what he was about to do.

Pressing their mouths together Wufei let the tea trickle into Trowa's mouth. On reflex the fey swallowed the dribble and the motion forced his lips to move against Wufei's. The action sent a tidal wave of need rushing over him so quick and hard that it left his body shaking. He had to fist his hand tightly so his fingernails dug into his palms in order to bring himself back to his senses. What was wrong with him? Trowa had certainly done nothing that would spark an attraction to him but it was obviously there.

Gasping for breath, he pulled away and took another sip of tea ignoring the significant tremor in his hand. This time Trowa not only moved his lips against Wufei's, he arched into the contact trying to catch all of the tea. This time Wufei couldn't help but groan with longing and pulled away reluctantly.

On his next attempt he soaked a piece of bread with gravy from the stew that was served with dinner. Placing it gingerly between his teeth, he pressed their lips together then used his tongue to push the bread into Trowa's mouth.

The meat scent of the gravy must have roused something in Trowa because this time not only did his mouth move to accept the morsel, his tongue pushed out to snatch it from Wufei's.

_Oh by the creator, it feels better than Heero's kiss. And it's not even a kiss! _His mind reeled. He was moving so he could get his arms around the sprite when he suddenly found himself staring up at the rafters in his room with sharp pain in his sternum where Trowa hit him. Sitting up, he found Duo hunched over Trowa who looked semi awake and it looked like he was going to fall back asleep.

Shaking off the residuals of his unexpected lust, he focused on what was needed. "Duo! We need him to change into a different form. Something small. Like a mouse!"

He heard a quiet urgent set of warbles that were joined by a few incoherent groans from Trowa. By the time he got up and joined them, there was a tiny mouse sleeping in the middle of his bed.


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks to Makoto for being such a great beta

**Looong chapter ahead!**

Mind, Body and Spirit – Chapter 8

_- The most common types of sprites are ones that share strong bonds with elements in nature. Nymphs and Dryads are bonded usually to a particular tree or grove. Feral types share strong bonds with animals. -_

_- The name **Feral** **Sprite** is actually a bit of a misnomer. Despite the name, they are not wild or savage creatures. In actuality, they are every bit as intelligent as other sprites. The name denotes their strong bond with animals. A bond that is so strong that it influences almost every part of their lives._

_Like many animals, Feral sprites live in small pack-like family groups that they are extremely protective towards. Although they have a natural affinity for all animals, these family groups usually show an affinity to one particular animal, and their group's habits tend to emulate that one animal. _

_Due to over hunting by humans, large groups are extremely rare now, but in the past these groups could be anywhere up to thirty sprites. In most cases, they were also usually under the protection of one dominant male. The dominant male was not only selected by strength alone, but also by age and his ability to resist the influence of animal impulses around him._

_For Feral sprites, strong animal instincts can override younger or weaker sprites. Even their body functions can be swayed by the instincts of the animals around them. Instinctual needs such as hibernating in winter and mating in the spring can override their actions.- _

_Excerpts of Father Wufei's Studies of the Fey _

* * *

Wufei mentally slapped himself as he reached yet again into his robe to stroke the tiny furry body that was concealed there. He really had to stop doing that. There was no way Trowa was going to appreciate his manhandling when he woke up. In fact, the priest was quite certain the feral was going to have a few choice growls about not only being touched by Wufei, but being carried around all day long as well. His only defense was that it was out of concern for his safety that Wufei was wearing him like a bizarre talisman in the first place.

A few days after the handsome green eyed feral showed up at the abbey, Wufei was visited by Heero and Quatre. The twosome stopped by to visit and let him know he was requested to help out in the archives copying some of the older texts that had almost faded to illegibility.

Quatre was gingerly petting Duo who had been very slowly warming up to the Spirit priest, when Heero jumped up onto the bed yelling "Gahhh!" For a moment neither Wufei nor Quatre could figure out what he was standing in defense against wielding a dagger he pulled from the Creator only knows where.

Looking across the room, they were almost surprised that there wasn't a large vicious beast with large poisonous fangs rather than Trowa's tiny mouse form curled up asleep on Wufei's table. Wufei was almost too shocked to laugh, but Quatre seemed to have no difficulties making fun of his lover. Wufei tried to explain Trowa by saying he was a dead mouse Duo brought him in, but the effect was ruined with Quatre promising to save Heero from the big bad ferocious beast.

He gently scooped his sleeping guest up and promised to dispose of him right away. That only created another awkward moment when Duo tried to stop him, not certain what Wufei was going to do with his mate. Wufei tried to discreetly reassure Duo while Heero made ugly noises about checking the kitchens to make sure there were no more of the disgusting creatures about and Quatre suggested that maybe they should borrow Duo on their search.

In the end, Heero and Quatre went to check the kitchens alone because Duo refused to go anywhere with them while Trowa's safety was uncertain. Instead, the imp followed Wufei down to archives and once he was certain Trowa would be safe in the little pocket Wufei made in his robes, he decided to pretend to 'mouse hunt' in the archives. Spying Duo's imaginary hunting, a few more priests went into near panic at the thought of mice in the precious archives, and by nightfall the whole abbey was in an uproar. Much to Wufei's embarrassment, the next few days that followed had everybody constantly looking into dark corners convinced there was a hoard of mice hiding somewhere in the abbey. It was fortunate that spring appeared to be coming early this year, as they ended up starting their post winter cleaning a few weeks early.

By now, it was warm enough to open the heavy shutters and let fresh air back into the room. Wufei could even hear a few birds chirping outside and knew Trowa would be waking soon.

And then, he and Duo would be leaving. The thought sent a great pang of loneliness through him. He could clearly recall how lonely he was at the beginning of the winter, and he knew he never wanted to go back to that.

Again, his hand drifted to Trowa's tiny form. This time he didn't stop himself from enjoying the feel of his soft fur, not caring if his movements seemed possessive. The sprite may not like him very much, but watching him sleep and spending most of the winter with Duo, who clearly cared about him, it was easy to forget just how grouchy he could be. And given the reasons for his attitude, even Wufei had to admit he probably would have reacted just the same as Trowa given the circumstances.

So, given those same circumstances, he wasn't too surprised when Trowa woke up and bit him.

Letting out a muffled yelp, he mumbled a quick apology to the other priests in the archive and hurried back to his cell. He was less concerned about his finger and more afraid that the feral would try to transform into his normal self before he got there. The whole trip to his room he kept muttering "Don't change, don't change, don't change" at his chest when he felt no one was looking. Making it to his room, he caught sight of Duo's tri-colored cat form bolt through the door as it was closing. As fast as he dared, Wufei pulled Trowa out and practically threw him on the bed, not wanting the fey to transform or bite him again.

Duo seemed to have anticipated what was happening, because he wasted no time changing into his normal form and launching himself at Trowa who was still a mouse. Fortunately, Trowa was quick to change forms as well, effectively saving him from being squashed by Duo's enthusiasm. He just got the breath squished out of him by Duo's hug.

"Trowa!" he trilled trying to nuzzle every inch of the sprite he could touch. Trowa in turn chose to ignore Wufei's presence and returned the nuzzling. It was strange for Wufei to watch the pair. He expected the sharp pain of loneliness to hit him again like it did in the archives but it wasn't the same. It was there, but it was muted, buried under his ongoing fascination of the two mixed with his foolish attachment. A large dose of attraction was in the mix as well.

Trowa was the first to pull away and the first thing he did was sniff the air and grimace. "What are we doing here and why do I stink like a human?"

"Don't you remember?" Wufei asked before he could think better of it, bringing Trowa's glare down on him. The priest faltered a little under the hostility, but continued to plow through. "You came here to find Duo after he couldn't hibernate with you."

A deep crease appeared on the feral's brow but he said nothing in response. Instead, he turned to Duo. "Are you alright?"

"Yes! Wufei took good care of us when you were sleeping." the imp trilled. Because his nose was pressed against Trowa's chest he didn't see the frown on Trowa's face get deeper, but Wufei had a clear view of it. He also saw the openly distrustful look the sprite gave him.

Resisting the urge to sigh, he wondered what he else he would have expected. By Trowa's point of view it must have seemed like he was still a mouse waking up in a serpent's den and unsure why he had yet to be eaten.

Leaving them alone, the priest did what he always did for the pair. He left them together while he got some food. Having a clearer understanding of Duo's appetite, he was no longer surprised to find the fey still in his room, just hidden. Duo spent most of the meal on the floor with peals of squeaky laughter coming out of him while Wufei tried to re-explain soup to Trowa. He wasn't anywhere near as receptive to the soup as Duo was, but that didn't stop him from eating every bite.

"Stupid humans. Always need to burn things," he grumbled, causing Duo to fall silent and Wufei to wince.

During Trowa's hibernation, Duo and Wufei talked about many aspects of the Fey culture. The only part that he was reluctant to discuss was himself and other twilight sprites. He was surprisingly forthcoming about Trowa though. Or rather, feral sprites.

Wufei knew now that his family was from very far away. Like all ferals, they had a strong tie to one particular animal of their homeland. The lion. Wufei had heard of these beasts, had even seen a sketch of one, but had never in his life seen one.

At first they didn't worry about the disappearance of a few of their pride. For the most part, they assumed that perhaps they had lost their heads to their animal instincts. It was unfortunate, but it happened. There were tales of fey in bird form that forgot what they were and migrated for the winter or fish that never left the water again. Another possibility was if they happened on a hunting party while in animal form, but there was no heavy scent of blood in the area.

Then, more fey started to vanish. The lead male and several strong but lesser males and females agreed to move their pride. Word had reached them that other fey in various areas had gone missing as well. They chose to travel west in search of an elemental fey who were considered the strongest and best potential ally.

The journey was long and they lost more of their pride along the way due to mishaps in unfamiliar territory, but they finally found a water elemental. She was the cousin of Duo and Trowa's current protector Treize. Dorothy agreed to let them live in the forest in her region since she was more fond of the water anyway.

When the hunting party hit, there was no question about what they were hunting for. They set fire to the forest at several locations, forcing animal and fey alike to the water edge where the bulk of the hunting party was waiting with traps and nets woven with the same silvery cord that had caught Duo. Trowa was still very young at the time and was not as proficient as the older ferals transforming into the unfamiliar animals of the region, so his tiny garden snake form went unnoticed.

By the water's edge, Trowa found his father, who was also the pride's lead male, and the water elemental. They had given up all pretense of hiding and were openly battling the hunters. At one point, they managed to free a wood nymph named Catherine and instructed her to take Trowa to Treize. That was the last time Trowa saw anyone from his pride.

Strangely, it was Dorothy, Treize's cousin, who was the one who escaped the humans and let the rest of the fey know why they were being hunted.

After hearing his story, it was hard for Wufei to feel any real resentment for Trowa. Worse, he was dangerously attached to both of them. He's always been fond of Duo, but now Trowa had unwittingly become special to Wufei. How could he not after having him sleep next to his heart for a month?

Trowa's green eyes regarded him warily.

"So are you going to be leaving soon?" he asked, hoping he sounded neutral about the question. Duo didn't bother to answer. Instead, he looked to Trowa to see what he wanted to do. The sprite's eyes closed briefly and it seemed as if he were looking inward.

"No," he answered reluctantly. Clearly, he wished that wasn't his answer. Duo however appeared quite pleased, if surprised.

Seeing the somewhat puzzled look on his mate's face, he chose to elaborate. More for Duo's sake than Wufei's, he added "Treize hasn't opened the barrier yet. I've spent time with too many different animals. Too many females. I need Treize."

Wufei wasn't too clear on what that would have meant to the feral, but Duo was clearly alarmed. At best, he could only speculate that the instincts of several animals were perhaps creating a conflict within him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, assuming that whatever was wrong he probably couldn't fix it.

"No."

* * *

At first, Wufei was sure that the problem was probably psychological, but as the days passed he was more convinced that it was definitely physical.

The first few nights the sprite grudgingly agreed to participate in their talks about the fey. The sprite didn't contribute much, but he took great delight in shooting down Wufei's theories and ridiculing his questions. At points, it became awkward because they were still in an abbey full of people, and they had to continuously explain to him the importance of being extremely quiet. As time moved on though, he began to become more agitated. He would pace the room endlessly like a caged animal. Occasionally, he would leave the room for some air, but Duo would immediately retrieve him. As a few more days passed, Duo started to refuse to let him out of the room.

Trowa's moods would shift from snarling and grouchy to clear physical discomfort. When he did sleep, he slept on the floor, restless and twitchy. Duo had become more withdrawn and concerned than Wufei had ever seen him. Wufei was too ashamed to admit even to himself that Trowa's vulnerability and Duo's serious concern only attracted them to him more.

Finally, one morning, Trowa woke looking worse than ever. He was covered with a sheen of sweat, his teeth were bared in a snarl and his breath was coming in heavy pants between them.

"Is there anything we can do for him?" he asked Duo, not caring if Trowa overheard. In fact, he would have been thrilled if Trowa heard because then he'd go back to telling Wufei to mind his own business. As it was now, it looked like he wasn't even aware Wufei was in the room.

"He needs Treize."

"Maybe you should begin to take him home. That way when the barrier is opened he won't have far to go."

"I can't!" the imp wailed, frustrated with his inability to do anything for his mate. "He needs Treize! Treize is strong!"

"What exactly can Treize do for him?"

"He needs a mate," Duo answered gravely.

"But aren't you his mate?" Now, Wufei was confused. He was sure he'd read those signals right.

"Trowa has been around too many females. He needs to _be_ mated this time."

Now, everything became clear. As far as Wufei understood, Trowa was still quite young and young ferals were easily influenced by the animals around them. Up until now, he didn't think it was possible to be so heavily influenced as to change mating needs, but his own eyes told him differently. Trowa had been fighting his mating instinct for days in hopes of waiting for someone he perceived to be a worthy male.

It was also obvious that Duo wasn't it. In their relationship, Duo was the more submissive male and it would go against Trowa's instincts to be mounted by his submissive partner. A part of Wufei was irritated on Duo's behalf for he was certain the imp would be excellent in either role, but he also had to admit that it was apparent that Trowa wasn't thinking too clearly. Now was not a time to confuse him.

He caught Duo looking at him. "What?"

"You take him."

Wufei spluttered for a moment. "What?" he squeaked as his heart rate doubled. He couldn't mean to suggest Wufei mate him. Trowa didn't even like him.

"You take him to Treize. I can't be with him, but I also won't be able to resist him for much longer. You can protect him while you take him to Treize," The imp told him with the utmost confidence.

Can't resist him? Protect him? "Wouldn't he be safer with the two of you traveling as a fast moving animal or a flying one?" They'd have to dodge hunters, but Wufei figured Duo could handle it for a short time.

"NO!" Wufei was startled by Duo vehemence. "Can you not smell him? Other animals want him too!"

The weight of what Duo was asking of him was great. Trowa was almost completely incapacitated with his need for a strong mate and Duo was trusting Wufei to get him to Treize, whom he didn't know much less how to find. Not to mention that Wufei wanted him for himself, and now that he was aware of the pheromones that Trowa was giving off, his desire was reaching uncomfortable levels. Oh, and lets not forget that those same pheromones were drawing mates of other species to him? Animals that will probably attack him for the right to mount Trowa. In no way did he want to do this, but he was helpless against the total faith shining in Duo's eyes.

"Where and how far?" he asked, accepting what would probably be the worst mistake of his life.

The young priest and the imp spent the rest of the day planning. Duo gave him clear instructions how to get to a spot in the forest where Trowa would have the best chance of signaling Treize. It was easily a full day's walk in daylight, but since they had to sneak Trowa out, they would have to leave after dark and travel for the most part by night.

Sneaking the sprite out turned out to be just as difficult as he anticipated. Trowa had reached a stage where he was so concentrated on fighting his need to mate that he couldn't walk without leaning heavily on another. It took them quite a bit make it to the abbey gates, and by then it was more akin to dragging.

Duo followed them to the edge of the forest where both of them saw the multiple sets of gleaming eyes watching them. Changing into a wolf, Duo yelled at him to run while he tried to hold off anyone who would chase them. The priest threw Trowa over his shoulder like a grain sack, and ran as fast as he dared in the dark over rough terrain. In fact, he was faster than he expected but he guessed that was more likely fear driving him on.

In the distance, he heard a few growls and yelps and prayed to the Creator that Duo would be okay. He didn't think his heart could take it if anything happened to the imp. He knew of course that the imp could just use that scream of his if need be, but that didn't stop him from worrying.

As pre-dawn lit the woods a silver-gray, Wufei's adrenaline induced pace faltered and he stumbled to a halt. Not even the continuous sounds of pursuers could keep him from ignoring his exhaustion a second longer. No wonder he hurt all over. He'd been walking half the night with a dead weight over his shoulder.

Leaning the sprite against a large rock, he tried to will his body to obey him for just a little longer. Eventually, the tightening in his chest loosened and his breath and heart started to return to normal. As the spots were clearing from his eyes, he watched a rabbit boldly approach Trowa, sniffing significantly at him. The sprite's eyes that had been half lidded opened to regard the animal with interest.

Wufei forced himself into motion in order to intervene. "Oh no, he's not yours," he told the amorous creature quite firmly. He almost laughed when animal gave him a look that appeared quite put out by Wufei's interference, but he hopped away anyway.

_This isn't going to work_, he thought scanning the area for options. He rarely ventured this way or this deep into the woods. But if he was recalling his location correct, there was a spot they could rest just a little farther along. It wasn't really a cave but a ravine that had been cut away by a running stream so that the base was actually wider than the top giving it the appearance of a cave.

Being open at the top, the priest was able to build a fire that didn't smoke them out and he hoped it would discourage some of Trowa's suitors while he rested. Flopping down in the dirt, he glared at Trowa in what he hoped could be perceived as a hateful expression. He was irritated with him for sure. He was of so little help by now he was actually a hindrance, but he couldn't be particularly angry with him. It wasn't really his fault, and the scent Trowa was giving off was really getting to him. Only his extreme fatigue was distracting him from breaking Duo's trust.

The fire worked pretty well. Most animals became quickly discouraged and left. A few braver ones tried to approach, but a few waves of a burning branch and they too lost interest. Wufei used the opportunity to properly rest. The real problems didn't arise until shortly before nightfall.

Wufei was just to the point where he was certain he could move again when he caught sight of some movement. A very large puma appeared at the mouth of the cave and regarded two of them, letting out a large screaming yowl.

That woke Trowa out of his stupor quicker than a bucket of cold water. He went from slouching against the wall to crouched on all fours screeching his own yowl back. _Great; as if things couldn't get more complicated,_ Wufei bitterly snarled to himself. It was bad enough when Trowa was useless, now he was going to be an active obstacle.

Like before, he tried waiving a lit branch, but this particular cat was either not impressed or too determined to care. Instead, he just flattened his ears and snapped at the young priest. Wufei made another attempt, but had to stop because Trowa was yowling again and started moving toward the puma, forcing Wufei to gently but firmly shove him into the dirt. Both sprite and cat snarled at him and Wufei noticed Trowa's fangs and claws had become longer.

Knowing he couldn't afford to fight a battle on two fronts he ordered Trowa, "Stay", and then began waving his fire more aggressively at the cat. "You! Get away from here! Shoo! You're not worthy of him!" he yelled. He felt more than heard Trowa make another attempt to reach the cat and only had time to kick him back down. This earned him some angry spitting and a long set of scratches down his leg.

"I'm warning you, Trowa. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to. Stay put." He may not be of the body order and dedicated to honing his physical skills, but neither was he any slouch at it. Learning may be his primary drive, but learning took on many aspects. It was only natural that he would have dedicated some of his studies to finding out what the body could be capable of.

Seeing what he perceived as his mate in danger, the cat lunged at Wufei. This was something the priest had hoped he wouldn't be brave enough to do. He didn't particularly want to hurt the animal, he understood its predicament, but he couldn't allow it near the feral. Luck favored him in that moment when he waved his branch and the fire at the end flared and receded, giving the cat a bit of singed fur for his efforts. Thankfully, this also confused the animal long enough for the priest to concentrate on the feral. By now, Trowa had begun clawing off his clothes and was screaming impatiently.

Crouching low, he tensed to jump, but Wufei tackled him to the ground. Now, Trowa was mad. He thrashed and yowled louder than ever, and the priest had to pin both of his arms to his sides from behind in order to avoid getting mauled. At one point, the feral thrashed so much that he drove his shoulder blade into Wufei's mouth, stunning the priest. Only desperation kept him from loosening his hold while he shook off his momentary daze.

He tongued his teeth to see if any were knocked out and tasted blood. Testing his teeth again and finding them all there he realized the blood belonged to Trowa and spied the imprint of his teeth in the sprite's shoulder in a neat little bite mark. Trowa must have been surprised too because his thrashing slowed considerably.

Good thing too, because the puma decided he wasn't quite ready to give up on its feral lover, and without his fire, Wufei was forced to fight him bare handed. Wufei quickly dodged the leap the animal made at him. Taking a swipe at him, Wufei grabbed the paw that was trying to cut him open with one hand while he drove the fist of the other at its face. Stunned, the puma screamed and made another lunge at him, but this time Wufei didn't dodge it. Instead, he rolled back, planted his feet in its torso, and gave a controlled push that sent the animal sailing through the cave entrance.

Ouch, did he hurt. Trowa moved towards the cave opening where Wufei was but the priest stopped him. "Oh no, you don't. You're just going to have to forget about lover boy there. He may be handsome but you'd hate yourself in the morning." It took him several heartbeats to clue in to what he'd just said and how ridiculous it sounded. Chuckling tiredly to himself, he was thankful that the sprite chose to listen to him and stayed put.

Then, Trowa butted him.

And started rubbing against him.

And giving off a scent that was making Wufei's brain go fuzzy.

Alarmed, the priest pulled back and was having a difficult time getting his eyes to focus on the sprite before him. When he did, he became more alarmed. Trowa's fangs and claws had retracted and his attention was focused solely on Wufei. Moving forward, the sprite began rubbing himself on Wufei again, letting out a series of quieter yowls while he was.

Creator help him, Trowa thought he'd won the right to mate him.

"Wha… pant Trowa… groan I didn't… pant, pant I didn't win you," he managed to choke out. By all that was holy that scent was distracting! It was getting harder to focus. Trowa gave his jaw a lick and nip, making his eyes roll back into his head. With supreme effort on his part, he pushed the sprite off and onto the ground, holding him there with one hand planted firmly in his chest.

Green eyes glowed up at him and the feral gave a few paws at him in a mock attempt to claw off Wufei's obstructing clothes.

"Trowa, you don't want me and you're going to be really upset when you finally come back to yourself and find me as your mate." He tried to reason with him. Trowa just opened his legs invitingly and gave a pathetic and desperate whimper. The message was clear. Whatever restraint the sprite had was gone, and he needed to be mated NOW!

With a desperate groan, he pushed himself away and turned his back on the feral. At this point, he didn't care if the sprite tried to run; right now he was in more danger from Wufei than anyone else. At the moment, the priest's blood was singing and the world had narrowed down to just the two of them and the cave.

He understood what Trowa must have been going through now. His need was overpowering. He felt like his skin was two sizes too small and was burning to the touch. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget the sight of Trowa inviting him to take him.

As painfully aware as he was of Trowa, he wasn't expecting to be playfully tackled by a very nude sprite. Worse, said sprite started rubbing against him again giving playful nips along his neck and shoulders. Ohhh… he was about to explode if the sprite didn't stop.

Summoning the last of his willpower he rolled Trowa over again ignoring the inviting submissive pose that he was making. "Trowa, please, I'm begging you, you have to stop." On some level, he knew the sprite was beyond reason but he still had to hope that some scrap of his former hate and distrust of Wufei was there because Trowa had somehow altered his scent specifically for Wufei and it was acting like a drug in his system. Pretty soon he would loose his ability to think.

Praying for some sort of negative reaction to Wufei's position over him, the priest just looked down and saw the same complete trust Duo gave him earlier burning away the last of his resistance. Duo was never going to forgive him for this, but his ability to care was disappearing. Leaning back on his knees he tore off his robe not caring if he wrecked it in the process. Trowa used this time to shift onto all fours with his bottom aimed at Wufei, ready and waiting.

If he still had the ability to think, Wufei might have wondered about details like lubricant. Or he might have noticed that the feral's anus was flushed an angry dark pink and that the opening was abnormally large. He might have even speculated that the sprite's body was adapting to his mating needs, but all of that was beyond his scope. Instead, he just sheathed himself to the hilt into the body of his mate.

Trowa let out a long victorious scream while Wufei gave a grunting cough. As primal creatures, they had no need for finesse or romance and their first mating didn't last more than a few aggressive thrusts. Trowa spent most of it yowling blissfully the whole way, driving his mate to push into him more powerfully. With one last thrust that should have been strong enough to break something in a weaker creature, Wufei bit into his mate's shoulder again. Trowa let out his loudest screech by far, and then flopped over into the dirt, content.

For a few moments at least.

tbc


	9. Chapter 9

Mind, Body and Spirit – Chapter 9

Wufei would have slept clear through to evening the following day if it weren't for hunger. He was ravenous. If he looked down at himself he half expected to find a large hole where his middle was. What he found was Trowa using him as a pillow.

It took a few minutes of staring at the foreign presence for some stray bits of intelligent thought to trickle past the fog in his mind.

First, he and Trowa were both very nude. Second, they reeked of sex. Third, the erection that he normally woke up with every day of his life for as long as he could remember was conspicuously absent. Fourth and most alarming was that both of them had a wide array of claw, bite marks and finger shaped bruises.

After a few more minutes, a few memories of the previous night trickled in. The details were sketchy, but he distinctly recalled that Trowa had chosen Wufei to mate him.

Creator save him, he was a dead man.

He hoped that fey didn't have any methods for resurrecting the dead, because Trowa would probably need to kill him everyday for a decade to get over the insult. Even if by some miracle Trowa forgave him, Duo never would. Moreover, he doubted he could forgive himself for betraying their trust.

The young priest had no idea how many times he'd made love to Trowa but he vaguely recalled several occasions where Trowa succeeded in reawakening his satiated manhood. It seemed like every time he was certain they were done and he couldn't possibly go again, Trowa would start rubbing and licking and biting him all over again.

He also recalled that it was spectacular. It was almost worth his impending demise. _Well, it would have been even better if Duo were here_ he thought, and then shook his head shocked at his audacity. It would appear that coming to terms with his death made him bold.

His stomach growled louder and the sprite burrowed his face cutely into his noisy pillow. Starving, Wufei was brought back to the reason he was awake. His nose twitched and the scent of cooked fish drew his attention away from his new lover.

Looking up he was surprised to find Duo sitting calmly next to the rebuilt fire holding a pair of sticks with fish dangling precariously from them. The imp was staring at the half cooked meat as if staring at them would make them cook faster.

"Duo?" he whispered harshly. Any feelings of euphoria or disorientation from the previous evening were quickly burned away leaving him feeling vile disgusted with himself.

Blindly he flailed about searching for something to cover himself with. He managed to find a piece of Trowa's shirt, but it barely hid his modesty. Not that it mattered, since nothing would hide his shame.

When Duo looked up he tensed, waiting for the wrath that he was sure he deserved. When Duo gave him a brilliant grin the priest wasn't sure what to do. The imp stabbed his sticks into the ground by the fire and scrambled over to Wufei quickly covering his lips with his fingertips before Wufei could do more than open his mouth to apologize.

"Shh. Trowa must not know I'm here yet."

That caused Wufei to blink puzzled. Surely he must know what happened between his mate and the priest? There was no way they could look like they were doing anything but exactly what they doing.

Duo must have picked up on his confusion. The imp smiled at his mate fondly. "He still needs you." His braided head nodded in the direction of the fire. "Mating always makes him hungry. Feed him. It will show you are a good mate."

"Duo." He whispered against the fingertips still covering his mouth. A million apologies and questions froze on his tongue.

Finally, Duo looked him in the eye and nothing but affection, trust and warmth shone back. Wufei felt like he was going to be ill. He felt so miserable and undeserving of such kindness.

"You mate him good. I knew you could." He said with pride.

Black eyes widened with growing understanding. The imp knew. Had known he would not be able to resist Trowa. Perhaps he had known from the beginning when the priest had begun to feel the first stirrings of attraction for the feral. Did Duo also know that Wufei was attracted to him as well?

"I will come back at night. He should need me then." Duo promised. The imp started to pull his fingers away but then stopped and changed in mid-motion to stroke Wufei's lips. His gaze focused on them as if confused by them.

"What is the thing you humans do to each other's mouth? Is it a bite?"

Biting each other's mouth? Now what was the imp talking about? Wufei felt like he needed a map to follow this conversation. First he was remorseful, then Duo was telling him to feed Trowa, then he was beaming his approval of Wufei taking his mate, now he was talking about biting mouths? For a supposedly brilliant man he was feeling impossibly dense this morning. Although thinking back on the events of the past day he would challenge anyone to fare better under the circumstances.

Duo who was still looking at his mouth spoke again. "You seemed to like it when Heero bit you, but you have never tried to bite me. You did feed Trowa like that once. Is that what it is? Feeding?"

"I don't know… wait do you mean kissing?"

"Kissing?" Duo asked trying out the word, although to anyone else it would have sounded more like a snake hiss than a word. Eyes the color of twilight looked speculatively at his mouth, then with a tilt of his pressed his mouth to Wufei's and tried to bite him.

Wufei quickly pulled back to save his lips from what might have been a painful if pleasant experience. He watched Duo's features flicker with confusion and hurt.

Damn it. Now he was back to feeling wretched again. Knowing he was already doomed, the priest gave in to the attraction that that he had felt from the first moment he had seen the imp trapped in that snare.

Cupping Duo's face in his own, he gently pressed their lips together. Duo, who didn't want to be rejected again, chose to let Wufei control their movements. Almost to the priest's dismay the imp kept his mouth rigid and unmoving waiting to follow Wufei's lead. Unfortunately for Wufei, he'd only had one other experience kissing and he was trying frantically to remember every detail of it.

He remembered feeling like he was being tasted. Savored. Gently, he moved his lips against Duo's as if trying to taste him, trying to get the most out of the contact. He tried to pour all of his intent into his movements.

Eventually, Duo's lips relaxed enough to move with his. Elated, Wufei then opened his mouth a little more and tried to taste with his tongue, gently brushing it against Duo's newly pliant lips. The imp gasped a little in surprise, and pushed out his own tongue to meet Wufei's. The two dueled in the small gap between them before Wufei surged forward and sealed their lips together.

Fused together, Wufei continued to guide Duo's movements which were growing as enthusiastic as Wufei's own. It wasn't long before the two were eagerly trying to wrestle as much sensation as they could from the other's mouth.

Heat began to pool between Wufei's legs again and had he not been so preoccupied, he would have been surprised. With the work Trowa had put him through the night before; Wufei wasn't expecting a response from that particular body part for several more hours.

The heated exchange continued to point where Wufei was going to start exploring with his hands when Duo abruptly pulled away leaving him shaking with lust.

"Not yet." He said quietly. "He still needs you. He will need us both by tonight."

"Tonight?" he asked puzzled. After last night, Trowa would still need more? He didn't think he could survive such a thing. "He's still in heat?"

Duo nodded enthusiastically "Mating is three maybe four days" he trilled happily causing Wufei's eyes to almost pop out of his head.

The imp gave Wufei a quick peck on the lips and scampered out of the cave.

Four days of mating. Creator, he'd be lucky if he lived through it.

The young priest dressed and checked on their breakfast. He was surprised to see there was a pair of raw fish still lying on a flat rock next to the fire. Those he assumed must be for his new mate. Smiling, he realized that Duo had been helping him all along to becoming Trowa's dominant male.

Duo had waited until Trowa was incapacitated with his instincts, he helped fight off extra suitors and now he was making sure Wufei fed him like a good dominant male would.

Still starving, he quickly ate then grabbed his belt knife and the raw fish and moved back over to his mate. Instantly the feral curled into him causing him to smile. Wufei tunneled his fingers through Trowa's long fall of bangs pushing them away from the usually hidden face admiring how breathtakingly beautiful his lover was.

He tried valiantly not to smile when Trowa started to purr but gave up because it tickled his belly and legs. It was a wonder he was ever afraid of the feral.

"Trowa?" he murmured rubbing a hand along the feral's arm. The sprite stirred sleepily and blinked at him. "Trowa? Here, you should eat." He said cutting off a piece of the uncooked fish and holding it under Trowa's nose.

Trowa eyed Wufei then eyed the cave sleepily finally focusing on the food in front of him. The feral must have been more tired than he first thought, because he opened his mouth expectantly and didn't move until Wufei popped the morsel into his mouth. Even when he was hibernating he was never this docile.

Wufei continued to feed him almost waiting for the moment when Trowa would bite his hand but he never did. Once he was done, Trowa yawned and wriggled closer to Wufei like a cat seeking a warm spot to nap.

Before he fell asleep and while he was still docile Wufei figured now would be the safest time to breach the subject of the night before.

"Trowa, about last night… I'm so very sorry."

Bleary green eyes opened up to regard him and Trowa spoke for the first time. "Sorry?" he asked, as if he didn't understand the meaning of the word.

"I should have controlled myself better. There is no excuse for what I did."

"Excuse?"

"Yes, for what I did."

Wufei watched as the sleepy green eyes sparked to life and the owner of those eyes seemed to clue in that Wufei was trying to apologize. "You're sorry? Why are you sorry?"

"I should have been stronger and resisted more. I know you didn't want me and that you were waiting for Treize. I am sorry I was so weak."

At first Trowa looked confused, like Wufei was speaking in another language but then he looked thoughtful. "No. You were a good mate." He answered simply rising to sit up oblivious of his nudity.

"But you wanted Treize" regardless of Duo's approval, surely the king of the Fey would have been a better mate than a weak human.

Green eyes still holding his own, Trowa gave him an intense look. "No, you were strong, stronger than me." He said and there was almost a touch of awe in his voice. "And you marked me as yours. Treize never would have."

Wufei was back to being totally confused. What the hell did he mean he marked him? Did he mean when he took him? "What do you mean marked?"

Long slim fingers reached out to caress his mouth. On reflex, Wufei leaned into them kissing and nipping at them.

"You had the taste of my blood when you claimed me. Among my kind, tasting the blood of a mate while joined binds you for life."

_WHAT?_

Wufei blinked a few times. "I'm sorry, tasting blood means what?" he asked his no longer steady. His mind was quickly recalling all of the bite marks he'd seen on Trowa when he had woken up. He didn't even remember giving them, much less if they bled.

Trowa looked at him glassy eyed. As if his mating instincts were still muddling his thinking a bit. "When that mountain lion came I was so happy." He said quietly in a light dreamy tone. "It is the closest animal to my family's preferred animal around. I wanted him badly. So badly I would have willingly killed you to get to him."

He knew Trowa hadn't liked him before, but it was still a shock to hear someone tell you they wanted to kill you only minutes before you had had sex with them.

"But then you fought him. You fought me. You defeated us both and marked me. And then you took me."

Wufei felt his stomach flutter when he watched the awed expression come across Trowa's face when he talked about being mated by him. He may be ashamed of his lack of control, but deep down he didn't regret making love to Trowa. It was incredible and he was sure if he could see himself he would see a pretty goofy expression on his own face.

Wait, something didn't add up. He marked him _then _he took him?

His mind flashed back to when he was fighting the cat and Trowa. He remembered the one time when the feral had thrashed enough to almost knock Wufei's teeth out. It was hard enough to make Trowa bleed.

He even remembered the taste of Trowa's blood.

And being deep inside him shortly after that.

Frantically, he opened the neck of his robes to check his own skin. The bottom dropped out of his stomach as he unerringly found the bite mark that he somehow knew would be there. Six neat little puncture marks high on his pectoral, right above where his heart would be.

The meaning hit him like a stone wall. Trowa was his for life. Bound together even stronger than the Trifectum vows.

Joy and horror had a short but fierce battle in his mind. Joy looked like it was winning, but then his honor and morals decided to side with horror to gang up on his joy leaving him feeling horrible for the third time in one morning.

"Trowa, what happened… I didn't… that is, I wasn't trying…" he made several attempts to offer Trowa a way out of their bond but he couldn't think up a good way to say it. That and he really didn't want to let Trowa go, even though he felt like he had somehow tricked the feral sprite into being his mate by taking advantage of his weakness.

His attempts to explain died quickly when Trowa smiled lovingly at him. His smile was so beautiful all of the priest's thoughts came to a screeching halt.

"I know what you want to say but you are wrong." The sprite told him confidently, still smiling. Wufei paused unsure of what to say which gave Trowa a chance to continue.

"When we are marked and mated our bodies change. We become completely aware of our mates and adapt to suit them better."

Wufei quickly recalled how Trowa's scent which was initially designed to attract males of all species quickly changed to seduce only him. Even now, looking closer at him, the priest noticed that the sprite's ears, fangs and claws seemed less pointy than before. His overall appearance came across as less bestial.

"If the puma had taken me I might not have been able to change back." He explained simply rocking Wufei. He had never even considered the possibility that Trowa might not be able to return to his senses.

The sprite's gaze turned inward on himself "I can feel you now, your nature. You are very kind. So kind and very strong, stronger than I would have guessed. I can feel that strength inside of me."

"So, you are alright with me as your mate?" he asked stupidly. He had no idea why he would ask such a thing. If Trowa said no it would break his heart.

The feral surprised Wufei by letting laughing out loud. Slowly, with careful deliberation Trowa crawled onto Wufei's lap straddling him pressing their bodies as close as possible. As he had many times the night before, Trowa started licking, nipping and nuzzling Wufei's neck and shoulders while fogging Wufei's brain with his scent.

"You are a very good mate." He breathed heavily into Wufei's ear "I want your strength inside me again." He declared as his hands pawed impatiently at the robes that were stopping them from having skin to skin contact. With a small helpless groan Wufei allowed himself to be sucked into Trowa's passion again.

Although their lovemaking was distinctly less primal, it was no less intense. Wufei felt like Trowa was trying to draw from him. He felt his lover drawing the seed from his body. Felt him bite yet again and draw a small taste of blood from the mark. He also felt like a part of his heart was being extracted and latched onto during their coupling.

As his body quaked with aftershocks of pleasure he accepted it was too late to think about what was right and what he should have done. His bright future as a priest was over. Trowa was his and he was Trowa's.

He was certain he'd fallen in love with Trowa and if that wasn't despicable enough, he was also certain he was in love with Duo.

The next chapter was written, but I decided to rewrite a piece of it.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: I'm pretty much pushing the limits as to what will accept here so here's hoping that I don't get banned.

Mind, Body and Spirit – Chapter 10

Duo returned at sunset as he had promised. Trowa was sleeping contently at the time while Wufei was kept awake by the thoughts that were chasing their tails in his head.

He wanted Duo. He wanted Trowa. He had no right to either of them. He was mortal, they lived for centuries. He was a priest; they were mystical creatures that were hunted for their life force. There was no way he could be with them as he so desperately wished to.

He could leave the abbey, but there was very little he could offer them. A few fleeting years before he turned old and decrepit. Would they leave him when they no longer thought he was strong? Would they stay? Would they suffer when he died?

He'd done them a great injustice by worming his way into their lives. He should stop being such a weak coward and send them back to Treize as soon as the barrier lifted, forbidding them to return. All he could allow himself is this time and this cave. To fill his heart with as many sweet memories as he could because he would need them to keep him warm in the lonely years to come.

Maybe he would leave the abbey anyway. He could never be a part of a Trifectum now. His heart belonged to someone else. _Two_ some ones. He could never say his vows to anyone else now and mean them.

Easing away from Trowa he contemplated the dying fire and their supplies. Until Trowa's heat was over it was up to Wufei to care for him. Fortunately, his needs were fairly simple. Mate, sleep, eat, mate, sleep, eat. Occasionally he'd stay awake enough to mate twice, but he would be fast asleep before their bodies even cooled.

Having dumped the last few twigs on the fire he reached for his robes so he could go forage for more firewood when he was tackled from behind and sent sprawling into the dirt.

He quickly flipped himself onto his back half raising his torso from the ground to find his attacker. At first all he could see was a pair of eyes that glowed like luminescent jewels in the growing shadows of the cave. But as the figure crept closer it materialized into a very predatory looking Duo.

Slowly, he crept on all fours stalking Wufei and the priest was struck with the bizarre urge to scramble away from him to safety. Before he could though, Duo pounced on him pressing his body back into the dirt.

"Duo-mmmrph?" before Wufei could ask what was wrong the imp had their mouths glued together in a passionate kiss. Duo pushed his tongue into his mouth and proceeded to show the priest just how much he'd learned about kissing in their one brief lesson.

As a very annoying bit of irony Wufei could not respond to the kiss as ardently as Duo deserved thanks to Trowa's insatiable lust. His heart and mind wanted to flip the gorgeous imp over and do all of the things he had been secretly fantasizing about, but one of the key requirements was still worn out from its last encounter.

Well there was still a substantial list of things he wanted Duo to do to him left.

Not wanting to put Duo off by what might seemed like a lack of interest on his part; he returned the kiss trying to use every other body part at his disposal to show just how much he was enjoying it. His hands moved avidly up and down his back stopping briefly to grip the firm globes of Duo's bottom possessively before moving on.

Duo broke away for a moment to allow the two of them to gasp for air. His eyes were glowing even brighter in the increasing twilight. "I like kissing." He announced in a low wolf growl before melding their lips together again.

Soon the clothes Duo was still wearing became more than either one of them could stand. Wufei tried to clumsily remove them when Duo lost patience and just ripped them clean off.

"Duo." He exclaimed huskily as skin as pale as moonlight was exposed to him waiting for him to touch and taste.

Slowly he ran his hand down Duo's chest past his belly and down to his hip. With his free hand he grasped the imp at the base of his skull and pulled their mouths together in a bruising kiss. At that same moment he allowed the hand that was busy exploring to test and tease the swelling flesh at the apex of the fey's thighs.

Duo let out a long delicious moan that made Wufei's own flesh twitch sleepily. The beautiful imp rocked his hips pressing harder into the sensation clearly wanting more. Wufei was so focused on Duo's pleasure that he was momentarily confused when Trowa woke up and spoke.

"Duo?" the feral asked quietly. Still sleepy, the sprite looked confused by the sight of his two mates intertwined before him. He appeared to be unsure if the two of them together was a good thing.

Wufei felt Duo stiffen nervously and tried to separate but Wufei tightened his hold preventing the long haired fey from escaping.

"Trowa come here please." Wufei beckoned with a nod. He couldn't risk gesturing with his hands or Duo might try to run. Having accepted that this time in this cave was all he could ever have he was going to be a greedy bastard and try for everything he ever wanted.

As Trowa's dominant, the feral complied but the confused look never left his face. In the animal world the dominant males of many species were allowed several submissive so he was fairly certain Trowa was not angry with them just confused about his place in their hierarchy. Duo continued to squirm while his feral mate crept closer.

Reluctantly, Wufei's hand let go of Duo's now softening flesh and wrapped it around his waist. With his hold more secure, he reached out with his other hand silently pleading with his lover to come close enough to hold.

Obediently, the feral closed the rest of the gap and curled into Wufei. It took some juggling on the priest's part, but in the end he had Duo laying half on and half off his right side while Trowa was snuggled into his left side with a head propped on each shoulder.

Wufei closed his eyes for a moment and breathed them both in. He'd felt like he had been waiting his whole life for the three of them to be like this. If he could have, he would have absorbed every scrap of this moment into his cells.

"What were you doing?" Trowa asked. Wufei was too caught up in his attempts to crystallize the moment that Duo answered.

"Kissing. Wufei taught me."

"Kissing?" Trowa asked looking more puzzled at the unfamiliar word. Then it all made sense to Wufei. Duo and Trowa cared about one another implicitly, and although they were technically lovers, it seemed all of their sexual encounters were animal based and revolved around Trowa's need for a mate. They would have had very little if anything to do with human based affection or romance.

The knowledge irritated Wufei on both of their behalves. Although he'd tried to be tender and loving to Trowa the last few times they were intimate, Wufei now cursed himself for not trying harder to ensure that Trowa knew the difference between mating and making love. And if Trowa didn't know, it was a sure thing that Duo was also ignorant of the difference.

"Duo, show Trowa what kissing is." He suggested trying to pull the two closer.

He watched closely as the one fey pressed his mouth against the other. It was a bit amusing to watch Trowa's eyes which started off wide open and stunned, then started to gently drift closed the more Duo kissed him.

From his position he had an up close view of the exact moment Duo's tongue went into Trowa's mouth. At one point there was a small gap between their lips and Wufei could see the two slick muscles lapping against each other. The sight made his still exhausted manhood twitch with curiosity. He watched for a few more moments then he tried to join them in an awkward three way kiss.

Pulling away he pressed his forehead to each of theirs. "Duo, Trowa, I know that I'm just a human, and that I have no right to want to be with you, but I need the two of you to know how deeply I care for you." he faltered when he felt more than saw their confusion.

"I love you both very much." He stated even though his throat was closing up. "I shouldn't. But I do. More than I ever believed I could. I want the three of us to be together. Here, now, in this cave. I want… no I _need_ the two of you to be my Trifectum. My body and my spirit."

Neither Fey said anything for a moment. Trowa still seemed confused and Wufei could see clearly see and smell why. It was difficult enough for him still being in heat, but also wasn't used to complex feelings. Oh, he had them to be certain, but until recently he normally preferred using his instincts. For him mating involved very few emotions so Wufei's claims of love left him feeling very confused.

Duo however looked like he'd been given something he'd long since given up hoping for. As soon as Wufei mentioned love his eyes that were still glowing started to look a bit teary. Duo who was naturally open and affectionate had been rejected by everyone around him. It was only a miracle that he had not been killed at birth by his own kind. When Trowa first offered him companionship, he was quick to jump at the opportunity. He didn't care about Trowa's lack of finesse during mating because he knew that his mate had _chosen_ him above all others.

But now Wufei was there. Wufei who said he loved him regardless of what he was. Wufei who was determined to show both fey not only kissing but what real love was.

Taking their silence as acceptance, the priest continued "Trowa, I want you to help me make love to Duo." He instructed. Both his lover and his soon to be lover looked confused again. He restrained the very unromantic urge to chuckle at the way the pair looked to him for guidance when he had only been sexually active for one day.

Through instruction and gestures he managed to get Duo above him on all fours with Trowa behind him. Without waiting for further guidance Trowa drove into his imp mate before he was ready causing Duo to let out a canine yelp of pain.

"Duo! Trowa hold still!" he ordered then after seeing the hurt look in those beautiful green eyes he gentled his tone. "Trowa, please love I need you to hold still until Duo is ready." He said then shifted his gaze between the two of them. "I don't want any pain for either of my loves. I need you both to enjoy this."

Duo whose face was buried in the crook of Wufei's neck, "I'm alright," he mumbled into Wufei's throat "I'm ready now." even muffled it still sounded like a wounded puppy's yelp.

The priest pulled his head away so he could cup the imp's face, smiling warmly as he looked him directly in the eye. "That's not enough love." He said, kissing him fiercely. As told, Trowa stayed perfectly still throughout the kiss although he did lick and nip at Duo's back crooning affectionately.

In the kiss Wufei and Duo struggled to get as much sensation as they could from each other's mouth while Wufei explored Duo's body with his hands. Whenever he would pass by Trowa he would give him an affectionate caress to show that he hadn't forgotten about his handsome feral love.

Working his hand across sleek muscles he moved back down to Duo's front and stroked him back to life causing Duo to emit a mix of warbles, whimpers and yowls. The imp clearly had never been fondled in this way before because he started to buck hard pushing himself back against Trowa then forward into Wufei's hand. His rough movements became too erratic to continue their kiss so Wufei broke off to watch Duo in the throes of his first real ecstasy.

As Duo's climax drew closer, his jewel eyes started showing a small shadow of fear at the intensity of his own passion. Just as he would seem close to his peak his body would tense and he would back away from it.

Wufei smiled in understanding, there were a few times the day before where he was shocked by his own intensity. If he hadn't been so caught up in Trowa's lust, he probably would have shied away from it too.

Lovingly, Wufei started to kiss any body part he could reach while offering a litany of erotic encouragement. "Let it take you over. Fall for us love, I'm here to catch you. Just let go and fall." He murmured and Wufei watched as Trowa hit his own peak biting hard into Duo's shoulder blade. Almost the exact same spot Wufei had marked Trowa.

Duo's movements became jerky and uncoordinated telling Wufei he was close. At the last minute, Wufei brought their mouths back together and imp let out a high pitched keen into his mouth that rocked the priest.

For a brief frightening moment, Wufei was afraid that Duo had accidentally used his death scream but the warm, heavy weight of two bodies told him he was still very much alive. He'd have to be cautious of that in the future. Duo would be devastated if he killed them.

Gazing up at the loves of his life he couldn't help the huge grin that wanted to take over his face. His two beautiful fey were radiating satisfaction.

Duo reached blindly over his shoulder to coax Trowa to lean forward and kiss him. The two beamed at each other in their post bliss haze. Wufei suspected that although the two were probably used to the primal intensity that he and Trowa shared last night, they probably weren't used such intimacy. Clearly they both liked it for which Wufei was thrilled because he planned on keeping them in the cave for at least another day.

Maybe two.

Almost definitely no more than three.

Trowa broke the kiss and flopped ungracefully next to the pair his sleepy grin clearly visible. Unable to resist how adorable his feral was, Wufei leaned over and kissed him lightly "You were wonderful love."

Trowa reached out until is fingertips were just touching Wufei's shoulder and let out a deep rumbling purr of contentment. After a few seconds, he was asleep making the priest chuckle. By the Creator, he never thought he could feel anything like he felt for his fey.

Turning away from his sprite he went to gaze lovingly at his imp but stopped in surprise to find Duo watching him closely eyes still glowing bright.

The imp surged forward and crushed their mouths together enthusiastically once again letting Wufei know he really, really, really liked kissing!

Wufei accepted the kiss with just as much enthusiasm, enjoying the way bare skin felt next to bare skin. Duo surprised him a second time by flipping their positions leaving Wufei on top nestled between pale white thighs.

"You now." He chirruped.

Wufei gaped stupidly. While it was true that watching the two loves of his life did help his body's recovery, he felt Duo should at least rest some before continuing and he tried to say as much but Duo shushed him with another kiss.

Against his ear the imp started purring deeply making the priests whole body shudder "You now." He repeated breathing heavily against his nape before drawing back and biting hard enough to draw blood.

Wufei yelped in pain and tried not to be bullied by Duo any further than he already had. With slow and very careful deliberation, so as not to hurt him too much, Wufei claimed the second half of his Trifectum. As soon as he was seated fully, he bit next to the imp's collarbone enough to taste blood. Duo yowled ecstatically while Wufei gently kissed the wound he'd made.

With blood on his lips, dirt an semen all over his hands and body, Wufei didn't look all that appealing, but he'd never been happier in his life. He moved with slow leisurely movements to begin with just in case his imp lover was still hurting. It didn't matter, he was in no hurry. He had been wanting this from the first time he had seen Duo. Without Trowa's ability to use scent to cloud his mind, the priest was inclined to take his time and enjoy the moment.

"I have been wanting this ever since the first time I had seen you. You are so beautiful love." He told the imp, raining feather light kisses on every part he could reach. The priest was trying his best to heap on the affection that his lover so desperately craved.

"I wanted it too." Duo agreed with a breathy and frustrated sound. "You are different than the humans around you… and why are you moving so slow?" he asked in a whimper. He was squirming as if trying to get more sensation out of Wufei's body.

Well so much for being the romance expert of the group. Apparently Duo liked more vigorous loving. He grinned sheepishly. "I was trying to be gentle in case you were still hurting. And I wanted to let you know how much I love you."

Duo stopped moving and looked up in surprise. Raising a hand to touch Wufei's cheek "I know. I have always known."

Now that was a surprise. "You did?"

"I could always feel your…" he struggled for an appropriate word "spirit… touching mine when you took care of me. It was always warm and kind and… loving. But now it's all around me and inside of me like I have always... arrh! Move faster!" he broke off in a frustrated growl.

"I won't hurt you?"

"I watched, heard, smelled and felt you all day! Please!"

Wufei winced. He remembered the awkward aroused feelings he would get while he watched the two fey together. So he understood how uncomfortable it might have been for Duo to watch his two lovers in the throes of passion and have to wait.

Quickly Wufei sped up trying to give Duo as much as he could take. In the back of his mind he was thinking about what both of the fey had said about being able to feel him.

He wondered if that was another trait of their species. He tried opening his mind to feel them. It was difficult, and it was distracting him from his current activity but he did feel… something. Latching his mind onto it, he focused his feelings towards his loves and tried pouring those feelings towards it.

The effect was instantaneous. Duo arched his back and let out a piercing hawk's cry. While feeding Duo his body and his heart, Wufei could see Trowa moving sensuously in his sleep. The feral was still too deep in his exhaustion, but even in his sleep he could feel Wufei's heart calling to him.

The priest felt tears form in his eyes. They were his. They were really his. They were joined mind, body and spirit in a way that was more perfect than any human Trifectum could understand.

The purest joy rushed through him and dragged his climax out of him. That same joy rippled through Duo causing the imp to open his mouth in a soundless scream while his body endured a long and intense orgasm that left him gasping for breath after.

Not feeling particularly motivated to collect firewood or food, Wufei collected his two fey and snuggled between them. He even pulled a blanket from his pack that he had until now not even used. It must have been un-seasonably warm for him to do without it until now.

That or his lovers effectively distracted him from the cold.

tbc


	11. Chapter 11

Mind, Body and Spirit – Chapter 11

Yes it is finally here folks! The next chapter that you all wondered would ever happen. Great thanks to animegal who was willing to take over beta reading this chapter.

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Mind, Body and Spirit – Chapter 11

Wufei strolled along the path to the abbey with a huge grin plastered to his face. The source of his sublime happiness was a pair of foxes rolling around on the ground wrestling and nipping at each other playfully.

To the casual observer it would seem funny even cute watching the pair, one blue eyed, one green, tumble over each other but it would never explain the aura of joy the young man got from watching them. After all, how would the casual observer know that the feisty fox pair was also a gorgeous pair of fey? Or that the young man had spent the past four days engaged in every erotic fantasy he could think up with them?

A small chuckle escaped his lips as he watched Duo pounce on Trowa. The feral had clearly been anticipating such an attack because he allowed the two of them to roll and tumble further down the path before Trowa halted their progress by pinning Duo. The imp made a few snarling yips and tried to bite his way free, but the feral kept his hold. Finally conceding defeat, Duo gave Trowa's muzzle a fond lick.

"Looks like we will have to work on your attacking skills." Wufei murmured. Breaking apart, Duo bounded over to the priest looking for sympathy after his failed attack. When the man didn't open his arms to him, the imp pawed at the hem of his robe and whimpered. The priest rolled his eyes knowing full well that Duo was perfectly fine, and not in any distress. His only problem was that he was a complete affection hog.

Feigning reluctance he kneeled down and wrapped his arms around his imp combing his fingers through the thick fur. "You should probably both change anyway." He said quietly, "We are almost to the abbey and should start seeing other people soon."

Duo, who wanted to be carried, changed into a mouse and curled into Wufei's palm. At the same time Trowa melted into an exact replica of the imp's cat form. Right down to the correct eye color. Apparently, Trowa's shape shifting skills were quite more advanced.

The trio trotted down the widening pathway almost to the point where they would be able to see the top towers when they smelled the smoke. It had a burning acrid scent mixed with something sickly sweet.

Immediately all three were on alert. Wufei started scanning the sky and trees to find the source of the smoke while the noses and ears of Trowa and Duo were twitching viciously.

"Duo, quickly try a bird. Can you tell where it's from?" By the time the priest raised his arms above his head Duo had already transformed and taken flight. He watched as the tiny sparrow flew above the trees circled once then dove back at him.

"Wufei home!" Duo chirped frantically.

"The abbey is on fire?" He asked, his feet quickened their pace carrying him faster and faster towards his home.

"No!" Duo said, causing Wufei to pause for a moment. "No fire now."

"It smells like old fire." Trowa meowed.

Again Wufei sped up piecing together a scenario in his head. The abbey must have suffered a fire while he was away. Was there anyone injured? What about his friends? Creator, he hoped no one was hurt.

Sprinting the last bit, he almost tripped on his robe when he reached the edge of the trees and caught his first sight of the building. It was completely unchanged. No scorch marks or burned out windows. The only difference was the cloud of smoke hung heavy around it like an ominous fog.

Cautiously he closed the distance and circled the outer wall for the source of the smoke already alarmed that he had yet to see anyone. The source of the smoke was coming from a large pile of debris between the gardens and the training grounds.

The pile was large and had mostly burned itself out. His stomach gave a little flip of relief that the abbey and his friends were safe until he caught sight of a section of the debris that was not completely burned beyond recognition. His brain froze and refused to accept the information his eyes were telling it. No! It couldn't be!

With his heart in his throat he ran through the small garden gate that he usually used to escape without notice. He barged in through the door heedless if anyone saw or heard him. Indeed, he would have been overjoyed at this moment to have been yelled at for causing a ruckus but he saw no one.

The smoke had somehow permeated the building and hung through the corridors like bizarre cobwebs. Too revolted to even touch it, he dodged and weaved as best he could to the closest room he could think of. He hammered his fist on the door and charged in a heartbeat later without waiting for a reply.

Heero and Quatre's room was much like his own. The only concession that they were given as a pair was an extra bed that they had tied together with the first. Wufei's heart clenched when he saw an almost grey Quatre lying on the double bed with a very miserable Heero watching over him.

"Heero!"

Heero looked up dejectedly at him as if he'd just noticed that the mind priest was in the room. His eyes were glassy and wet with unshed tears and his expression was one whose world was about to fall apart.

"Wufei?" he asked hoarsely "Wufei where were you? Quatre was worried he even tried…" the body priest broke off in a harsh sob.

Wufei's heart clenched again with guilt. While he was off having the best time of his life everyone else he cared about was suffering. "Heero, what happened here?" he asked moving to stand beside the grieving man.

"Everyone just started getting sick." He whispered harshly. "At first Quatre was okay, but he felt he needed to help, and then yesterday… yesterday he started to feel the tiredness."

"Tiredness?"

Heero closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath and Wufei could tell he was only moments from falling completely apart. "Everyone who got sick always started off complaining they were tired but they just never seemed to get better from it."

Wufei with his extensive reading and experiences helping out in the medical wing immediately tried to think of all possible ailments.

"Was there anything else? Fever? Rash? Coughing?"

Heero shook his head "No, just tiredness." Again the grieving man let a sob escape. "I can't loose him Wufei. He's my sunshine, my reason for being. I can't…" the man put his face in his hands and started sobbing in earnest.

Wufei, uncertain of what to do embraced the other man while he cried. Only someone who was three days dead would not be able to tell how completely in love Heero and Quatre were, but it was unusual for Heero to speak so eloquently about it.

Trowa and Duo, who had been following at a much more cautious pace, entered the room agitated. Trowa was crouched low, with his ears lying flat against his head and his tail puffed out. Duo was flying in frantic circles trying to avoid the streams of smoke that were in the room. Finally too upset, he changed into his own form.

Wufei suffered a brief heart attack and practically dropped Heero while he leapt to slam the still open door closed.

"Duo are you mad?" he hissed while Trowa yowled in disapproval and warning. Wufei spared a quick glance to Heero who sat where Wufei had left him looking stupefied.

"I can explain this." He told the other priest then to Duo "What do you think you are doing?" he hissed again.

Duo was more agitated than he had ever seen him. He didn't even look this distressed when his foot was caught in that snare. When the imp wouldn't answer, he looked to his feral. The cat looked just as puzzled but all he said was "This place smells bad."

"Death." The imp growled "I smell life being exchanged for death. I can feel it in the air all around us." He finished in a whimper clutching his head and squatting in a tight ball. When Wufei went over to hold him he could see the trembling throughout the imp's body.

Life exchanged for death? Wufei looked up at the grayish form lying on the bed. Quatre had always been extremely pale, but it was clear this was not a normal pallor for any human being. Only a marble statue should look that cold and pale. Only his shallow breathing marked him as a living creature.

While studying the sprit priest's still form, the mind priest tilted his head. What was that? Was it a trick of the light? "Trowa, can you stay with Duo?" The cat padded silently up then gave a rather meaningful look at Heero.

"We can deal with him later." He said quietly. Trowa-cat nuzzled Duo quietly offering what reassurance he could while Wufei stood and paced the room. He carefully examined the room and the patient from all four corners. Then he opened the shutters to let in more light and examined the room again.

The smoke didn't appear to be coming from the bodies burning outside, nor did it seem to be coming from the hall. It hung in the air in long filaments and one appeared to be going through the wall _into_ Quatre, or more accurately from Quatre through the wall. Before he could test his theory however, he was distracted by the sound of a blade being unsheathed.

His heart almost suffered another attack when he quickly spun to find Heero pointing his sword at Duo.

"What did you do to him?" Heero growled at the imp who was barely aware of the danger he was in. "You will fix him now!" he demanded.

"Heero!" Wufei launched himself at the body priest not caring if he was endangering his own life, but Trowa beat him to it. Heero suddenly found one clawed hand at his throat and another holding his sword hand in a bone crushing grip.

"Back away human or I'll end your life now." Trowa snarled.

"Trowa wait! Heero, please?" he begged looking at the pair. Wufei knew his lover well enough to know that he wouldn't back down until he was certain he and Duo were safe. He also knew that Heero was not in his right mind right now or he wouldn't have attacked Duo. He slowly inched himself between his friend and his imp lover.

"Heero, please." He begged again. "You know me; I care about you and Quatre. I'm here to help." Heero wavered for a fraction of a second so Wufei plowed on. "They are with me Heero. They were the reason I was away for the past few days. Please, maybe we can save Quatre."

The last caused the body priest to waver enough that Wufei was able to disarm him with a quick blow to his wrist. Heero, still in a daze of grief and confusion almost didn't seem to notice.

Suspicious about how easily he was able to overpower the gifted young body priest, Wufei grabbed Heero's discarded sword and paced the room again. He wasn't the least bit surprised to find a smaller, thinner filament trailing from Heero.

"Heero, do you feel tired right now?"

The body priest looked at him dazedly and Wufei already had his answer. "What does it matter now? I can't live without my sunshine." He said and shuffled back to the bed to stroke Quatre's hair.

Holding the sword near the wall, he aimed it to swipe down through Heero's filament. Annoyingly, it passed right through and the filament stayed put.

"Duo, do you see this?" he asked calling the imp over. When Duo didn't respond, Wufei pushed love and support through the bond they shared and called him again. Duo responded as if waking from a bad dream and joined him.

Duo focused on the same spot on the wall as he did squinting and tilting his head. Wufei stepped away and closed the window shutters again to see if it would help.

The imp's eyes did that trick where they started to glow like a pair of gemstones through candle light. "Life." He whispered.

"Trowa, can you see it?"

The feral shook his head, "No but I can smell… something."

"Can we break it?"

Both fey shook their heads. "Magic, we need to stop magic." Duo said then his face changed. "Leg trap."

At first Wufei was confused, but then he remembered the strange snare he'd found Duo in. "The snare? But you were able to shape shift in it."

"Change yes, but it still not let me escape. Maybe not let life escape."

Wufei was certain the logic didn't all connect but he needed to try something and it was probably the only magic like item in the whole abbey. Rummaging through his bag he found the silvery cord he always kept with him and wrapped it around the hilt of the sword. He could have tried passing the cord through, but he was still loath to come close enough to possibly touch the threads.

This time when he drew the sword down, the filament cut and seemed to snap back into Heero. The body priest gave a shuddering breath and blinked a few times.

"Heero? How do you feel?"

The priest blinked a few more times and took a few deep breaths. "Tired, better. What was that?" then with a frantic glance at the love of his life, "Quatre!" he called looking at Wufei.

"I've got it." He assured chopping harshly down on the stream that was pulling the blond priest's life out of him.

Quatre bucked and gave a long shuddering breath when his life slammed back into his body but he quieted down quickly. Although his color didn't improve much, his breathing settled to that of a person in deep sleep. As soon as the blond looked settled, Heero raised his head and looked ready to pelt him with more questions.

Wufei held out his hand to stall him "I know you have lots of questions, but I need to check on the rest of the abbey. Stay with Quatre and watch to see if he improves. Oh, and if you see anyone please don't mention my friends. Duo, Trowa lets go."

Heero's eyes boggled when Trowa melted back into a cat while Duo changed into a small mouse and burrowed into the folds of Wufei's robe. His tiny body was still trembling badly, but he seemed to draw strength from his two lovers.

Wufei left before Heero could gain enough wits to stop them. Once in the hallway he began slashing filaments left and right indiscriminately. As he headed towards the medical wing the threads thickened and became denser. It would have been impossible to walk through the corridors and not have at least several of them touching him without his sword to cut them.

Not wanting to leave a single one, his progress slowed to a crawl like he was trying to hack through a thick overgrown forest path. Sadly, he didn't see a single other person the entire journey that would have questioned why he was waving madly about with a sword. By the time he reached the doors to the hospital, the hallway was completely clear. He hoped he was in time to save those inside.

Every bed was occupied. The young priest was relieved to find the room clear of filaments, but unlike with Quatre and Heero some of the patients here still seemed pretty bad. Sally was the first to spot him.

"Wufei! Where have you been?" she asked almost accusingly but then she stopped and checked him over. She looked painfully exhausted. She had probably been somewhere between Heero and Quatre's different stages before he'd severed the lines going to the room.

"I was out." he stated lamely. How the heck was he supposed to explain where he was? His only saving grace is that he normally went missing for a day or two.

"Are you alright? How are you feeling?" she asked patting him down nervously. He grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"I'm fine. Can you tell me what happened?"

"You shouldn't have come back! People have been getting sick. We can't tell if it is a plague or poisoning. We've lost almost a third of our people." She began in her normal brisk manner but then like Heero, she just fell apart.

Putting his arms around her he let her cry. "Oh Wufei, I've lost Noin! And I'm losing Zechs!" she wailed in a harsh whisper.

No. Not Noin. She was a strong and kind woman that everyone liked to be around. She couldn't be dead. Someone that sweet and gentle, it was just wrong. He tried to avoid thinking that one of those bodies on that burning pile had been a bright and sunny woman who treated him like a kid brother. "Where is Zechs?" he asked around the lump in his throat.

Sally didn't let go but nodded her head towards the corner. It took a moment for Wufei to recognize the once strong vibrant man. Like Quatre he looked grayish, but unlike him, Zechs' breathing had not recovered.

It was then that Wufei realized how cruel this life-drawing disease was. Perhaps it was due to his bond with his two fey, but Wufei could tell that his life had been extracted past the man's ability to keep himself alive. It had kept him alive past where he should have died so it could draw every last drop of life out of him. The young mind priest looked at the once proud and strong body priest and knew with horrifying certainty that he would never wake. Sally would loose both parts to her trifectum.

Unconsciously his hand covered the small bundle under his robes that was Duo. The imp squirmed under his hand sensing his grief and trying to offer reassurance. Trowa padded up and rubbed against his leg purring.

He had to find the source of this 'illness'. Gently prying himself away from Sally he instructed her to stay with Zechs while he checked the rest of the abbey.

Looking down at his hands he realized that he'd put Heero's sword down somewhere but it was nowhere to be seen. Knowing him and what Sally would have said, he would not have carried the thing through the hospital, but where was it? It wasn't just inside the doorway and there were very few people walking around. More importantly, none of them were close enough to him to have moved it. He might have put it down before he entered the hospital so he went to check at the doorway.

Outside the door he was surprised to find Howard leaning against the opposite wall facing the door. Reaching behind him he pulled out Heero's sword with the silvery cord still tied to the hilt. "Looking for this?" he asked blandly. When Wufei took a step towards it however, he pulled it back. "I'm afraid I can't allow you to continue what you are doing."

tbc


	12. Chapter 12

Mind, Body and Spirit – Chapter 12

"Howard?" Wufei asked stunned while the wooden door to the hospital closed behind him. Surely Howard didn't have anything to do with everyone being sick. It just wasn't possible. Howard was like a foster parent to him. Always looking out for him, making sure he ate and stayed out of trouble. Wufei couldn't remember the man's wife that well, but he remembered how kind she always was to him.

Before either Howard or Wufei could say anything more, Trowa stepped in between them with his ears flat and hissing viciously at the other man.

Howards bushy brows shot up and his mouth quirked in amusement. "That's quite the protector you have there."

"Howard, you don't have any part in what is happening do you?" he couldn't could he? It was inconceivable.

The old man's shoulders sagged and decades of regret showed on the lines etched in his face. "Yeah kid, I do." Wufei watched the man battle with unknown inner demons, and then without notice, the haggard expression was gone and his head snapped up to scan the corridor. "But we can't talk here."

Wufei was about to suggest his room, but Howard stopped him. "And we can't go to your room either, because they'll be waiting for you."

"For me? Why?" Who and what would be looking for him?

"It's probably not safe in the kitchens either." He continued, mumbling to himself.

"We might be able to go to Heero and Quatre's room. I was just there." he suggested.

"Do you trust them with the secret of your friend here?" he asked nodding at Trowa.

Wufei's eyes widened and Trowa let out an incomprehensible squawk as they both realized that the old man knew exactly what the cat was. If Howard knew, that meant others might know and his lovers might be in danger!

Without saying another word Wufei took off towards Heero and Quatre's room. Trowa was hard on his heels and Howard was just a step behind, moving quickly for an old man.

Again he knocked and entered without waiting for permission. Upon seeing that everything including Heero was in same spot as he had left it, he let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Wufei?"

"Heero, has anyone been in here?"

"No now what is going on? Who were those…" the body priest fought for an appropriate word but all he came up with was "…two people?" although the tone he used on the word 'people' made them sound like anything but people.

Howard, who was just entering heard and raised his bushy brows again. "There are two of them?"

"Just a moment." Wufei waited until Howard entered. He scanned the hallway and secured the door. When that was done he turned around. "Howard says he knows what is going on."

Heero looked at the old man. "You do? Can you fix Quatre?"

The old man looked at the blond man reluctantly as if he'd been avoiding looking at him. "He should be fine with a few days rest, but I guess we don't have that luxury." He gave a resigned sigh and reached into his pocket to pull out a small glass vial. It was the kind that wealthy women would use to keep scented oils in. "Here, give him two drops of that." He said, handing Heero the vial.

Wufei watched as the body priest took the vial and eyed it suspiciously. Carefully the man let two drops dribble between the patient's lips. Almost instantly, the pale man regained what little color he had.

"Quatre!" Heero whispered fervently while Wufei relieved him of the vial. Perhaps there was a way to save the others. To his horror though, there was barely any liquid left in the vial maybe for two or three people at best, but that was depending on how much of a dose they would need. The young priest eyed the contents trying to see if he could discern what it was. If only they could make more.

Swirling the contents around, he studied it. Hmm…the liquid was an odd grayish color which made it look like liquefied smoke… the young priest gasped and Howard reached out and caught the vial before Wufei could drop it. "That's not…?" he asked trailing off. His hands started shaking and he resisted the urge to rub his hands off on his robe.

The old man nodded gravely and eyed the vial with something akin to hostility. "I've been hiding this thing for almost thirty-five years now. It would be worth my life if they ever found it." He said while tucking it away in his robes.

"They?" he asked thankful that Heero, Trowa and Duo all chose to remain quiet. If they interfered, he might never get any answers.

"Dekim, Dermail and Septum. Of course that was not the names they used when I first met them. Hell, even those names weren't their real names but I guess it is better to start from the beginning." The old man sighed deeply and pulled a chair out from the table and motioned Wufei to sit. The young priest took Heero's chair while the body priest opted to sit on the bed next to his lover.

When they had all settled into comfortable positions, the two young priests and two fey waited for the old man to start talking while he just watched Wufei with a wistful expression.

Pressed for time as they were, Wufei broke the silence first. "Howard, how did you come to be in possession of fey life force?" he asked bluntly.

For a moment Howard's face showed surprise before dissolving into a rather dark and bitter laughter. Trowa flinched and shifted into a defensive posture while Duo's whole body was shaking against Wufei's chest. Heero who understood the least of what was happening looked back and forth between the two as if unsure either one was completely same.

"You remind me so much of your father sometimes; always so direct and focused. Of course he got that from his mother."

"You knew my father?" he asked shocked. Aside from that one old dream about fire and calling out to his mother, Wufei knew nothing about his parents. Neither did anyone else in the abbey for that matter. According to anyone he asked, he just showed up one day, crying, covered in soot. Still, what did his parents have to do with that vial?

The old man gave him a fond smile filled with regret. "Of course I did. I was his father after all."

Wufei felt his eyes go impossibly wide as he tried to wrap his mind around what the old man was implying.

"That's right kiddo, I'm your grandfather." When he noticed that his newly announced grandson seemed to be struck mute he continued

"I didn't always live and work in this abbey." Howard began…

* * *

Howard's story

I was born to a much more ostentatious life than that of a priest. I was the lord of a very prosperous estate, I had influential friends, riches, a noble title, and I was in love. I had everything a man could want.

I knew the moment I met my wife, that she would be the one for me. Mei was a tiny, beautiful, hellion whose mannerisms and outspoken nature were highly inappropriate for a noblewoman but I didn't care. When others offered their misgivings about her suitability I flatly rejected them because part of her charm was her bold ways.

The day she become my wife was one of the happiest days of my life and was only matched by the day she told me I was going to be a father. Everything was exactly as I wanted it.

Looking back I'm amazed at what a blind fool I was. There is an old saying that one should always be aware of how high they climb because it is also how far you can fall.

Mei's body was not built well for pregnancy. She had troubles almost instantly. With my resources, I brought in the best healers, all of whom told her that she would in all likelihood she would either die or loose the child she was carrying. Some even went so far as to tell her she would never be able to successfully carry one.

Mei, light of my life, stubborn as she was, had already bonded to the life inside of her and refused to give up hope. And I, love struck fool that I was, was determined to do anything needed to keep my wife alive and happy.

There had always been rumors among society's elite of a miracle 'potion of life' but until then I ignored them as ridiculous. By the fourth month into my wife's pregnancy, she was completely bedridden and I was desperate enough to pay attention. I traced all the rumors, called in favors, paid bribes with frustratingly little success.

Then one night, a very creepy looking old man calling himself 'J' showed up at my gate offering to save my wife; and I, being the aforementioned love struck fool I agreed.

There were five of them in the beginning. When I first met them they all used odd names like 'J' and 'G'. Initially, they had claimed that their miracle cure was very rare and extremely difficult to come by. With my help they hoped to find a way to create enough to benefit everyone.

It cost me virtually everything I had for a few drops of their miracle cure. My estates, my riches all went to them. While it was true that they couldn't take my title, a title means little when you become a servant in your own home. At the time I believed it was all worth it to save my wife and son.

From his first breath my son Trant was a special child. As a baby, he was strong and healthy, and he almost never cried. As he grew older, he showed himself to be curious and intelligent, and threw himself whole heartedly into whatever sought his fancy. He was truly a son everyone would have been proud of.

It wasn't until he was six that I suspected something was not right. One day I found him sitting on a bench in the garden wearing the kind of deep thoughtful look you should only find on someone much older. At the time I found the expression quite amusing and approached him.

"Your mother is going to be very upset with you if you are late for dinner." I told him.

Dark eyes looked up seriously at me. "Father, what does 'resistance to toxins and infections' mean?"

Surprised at the very adult words coming from him I assumed that he must have overheard a conversation regarding crops or livestock. "It is what happens when a plant or animal cannot get sick or poisoned easily." I explained.

Trant made a face at me. "So it means I won't get sick?"

I was about to tell him that everyone gets sick once in a while until I realized with quite a shock that my son had never been sick. Not once. I couldn't recall one little bout of sniffles or a stomach ache or anything. Suddenly concerned, I asked him "Why do you ask?"

"Mister G told Mister S that they needed to test me, but it didn't sound like it was about the numbers and letters I had learned."

With a growing sense of dread, I sent my confused son to his mother while I sought out my houseguests in their workroom.

That was when I saw my first fey. It was a horribly ugly little creature with grayish brown skin, spindly limbs, a long hook nose, and no ears. It almost looked like a gnarled old tree root had sprung to life.

The sad looking thing was locked up in an intricately carved silver cage and they were doing… something… to it. It was difficult to tell how, but they were somehow drawing a grey mist from the creature that went through a machine and decanted into a bottle at the end.

So this was the source of their miracle cure.

"What is the meaning of this?" I asked.

As a unit they turned and looked at me in surprise. "How did you get in here?" J asked.

I held up my set of master keys that I, as title holder of the estate, had kept for myself. O, the tallest of them walked over to me and glared at me silently with his hand open, waiting for me to give him the keys. Intimidating as he was, I wasn't going to be distracted.

I clutched the keys closer to me "What is that thing?" I demanded.

G was the one who answered. "This? This is merely a nuisance. We are actually doing you a favor by ridding your lands of them."

"What is it?" I asked watching more of that mist pull away from the creature. The thing already looked worse than it did when I had first entered the room.

"Nothing more than a garden variety imp I assure you. This is the kind that usually creates false trails and hides real ones from unsuspecting travelers. Many children like your son have gotten lost and died thanks to these creatures."

"What are you doing to it?"

"It would have had to have been killed anyways. This way we are making its death mean something."

"You're killing it." I stated rhetorically.

"I suggest you worry less about what we are doing and more about your family." G suggested, nodding his head to O, who promptly shoved me out of the room.

Consequently I did what any worried husband and father would do when faced with an unknown threat. I sent my family away and kept my mouth shut.

For the next decade I watched silently as some of the most amazing creatures were wiped from existence for the sake of this 'miracle cure' and the burden of my silence grew heavier and heavier.

When Trant was seventeen he returned home with his mother unexpectedly. Mei had caught a fever and was dying. I had tried to send them away for their own safety but my son proved to be just as stubborn as his mother. He accused me of everything from being an unfaithful husband to being a cold hearted bastard of a father but nothing would convince him to leave. Finally in desperation, I told him the truth about his rather peculiar birth.

There has never been a day since then that I don't regret telling him about that thrice dammed miracle cure.

Typical of a stubborn, hot blooded, young man, Trant took it upon himself to sneak into the lab and steal some of the cure for Mei despite all of my warnings and threats not to go anywhere near it.

He returned hours later ashen faced empty handed. He had been able to get close enough to see the fey and what was being done to them because those mad five didn't concern themselves with strong security regarding the captives. It was the collected life force however never left their sight.

Trant had become enraged over gradual genocide that he had witnessed. I was torn between keeping him safe and worry over my beloved Mei's failing health. After I made him promise to do nothing that would attract notice from the mad five I concentrated my care on my wife. At the time I think I knew something was wrong with him, but I let myself believe otherwise.

What I didn't know was that he had fallen head over heels for a beautiful water elemental and made continued visits to her daily while trying to devise a plan to steal the fey life force miracle cure.

Several days after his first attempt, the estate was rocked by an enormous explosion and the area around the lab was instantly engulfed in flames. Horrified, I searched everywhere for my son fearing he was somehow caught in the blast. The fire was too large for me to do anything but try and get my wife to safety and hope our son was alright.

Rather shockingly, that was where I found him. In his mother's room kneeling next to the settee where a semi-conscious water elemental was laying.

"What have you done?" I roared at him. I only had a few moments to get them all out before the flames spread to that wing of the house.

Annoyingly, my stubborn son ignored me. "I had to do something father, they were killing her." He said, looking adoringly at the water elemental. When he finally turned to acknowledge my presence, I could tell by his face that nothing I said would make a difference. "Father, this is Dorothy."

"We are going to have to escape now." I said, and I didn't just mean from the fire. The mad five would be after us. One thing that I had learned from the time I had spent with them is that they had accumulated an enormous amount of wealth and resources and were capable of just about anything.

Trant being quick as ever, picked up what I was saying instantly. "I may have bought us some time. At least two of those men were in the lab when it collapsed. And I managed to steal this." He pulled out a flask with enough life force for at least twenty people.

"Are you mad? They will kill us for sure for that!" Frantic, I scanned the room for something to hide it in. Mei who was never fond of heavy scented perfumes had a habit of dumping the oils and keeping the decorative bottles for display.

Carefully, my son and I divided the life force into a couple of vials and administered the remains to Mei and Dorothy. I must admit I was a bit surprised at the colorful descriptions the fey used to describe my son when she woke up; the nicest of which being 'stupid human'.

With the fire moving closer, we ran to the far end of the house in the hopes of escaping unnoticed. The back entrance was thankfully deserted as most others were around the front on the other side of the building trying to combat the fire. As soon as we were out in the fresh air my son made another ridiculous announcement. "Father, mother, I'm going to escape with Dorothy. If anyone asks, just tell them I died in the fire."

"Stupid human I don't need your help." Dorothy grumbled. Even with her arms crossed under her breasts and a stubborn set to her jaw she still looked terribly frail and weak. Trant chose to ignore her insult.

Both his mother and I balked at the idea and both began arguing with him but the decision was taken out of all of our hands when we heard voices coming our way. My son and the fey ran one way and my wife and I ran the other. That was the last time I saw my son.

We searched everywhere for him. What little there was left of my estate was either liquidated into money and that which could not be changed into money was transferred over to a distant cousin of mine. When I look back on it, it was probably a cruel thing to do to him. Dumping the crumbling remains of once prosperous estate on him and leaving him to clean up the mess and sort out what remained of the servants and their families. At the time I was more worried about what was happening to Trant.

We never did find him. Instead, we found what was left of the mad five.

For obvious reasons, the fey had been retreating further and further into the wild away from humans. Our search had led us through dozens of small towns and sparsely populated regions always searching for rumors about the mysterious fey. In our travels we heard about a Trifectum abbey with a rather extensive library and made our way there only to find J, S and H trying to infiltrate the abbey as priests to access the same library.

Their appearances had greatly changed since I had last seen them. All of them had suffered serious injuries due to the explosion in their laboratory. H had been badly burned, S's face had been horribly disfigured, and J had lost and arm and his eyes, yet there they were, whole, healthy and considerably younger than they were before. Even with their vastly different in their appearance, my wife and I knew them on sight. There was something that was unmistakable about them that gave them away.

They had obviously recognized us even though we were older but at first they chose not to say anything. They were probably hoping we didn't recognize them in their new forms and didn't want to draw attention to themselves. Not trusting them, Mei and I chose to join the abbey as well. We figured that we could keep and eye on them and to use whatever they found on the fey to find my son.

It took us a while to figure out why they didn't bother to get rid of us in a more permanent way. Sure, they broke into our room countless times trying to find the vials of life they suspected we possessed. I won't even get into what we had to do to keep them hidden from them. Let's just say that we had to keep them on our person at all times… including bathing.

They knew there was a group of sprites in the area and they needed the abbey as a new base of operations. Their resources had been severely depleted, and we did whatever we could to hinder them further. We would sabotage any traps we found, free anything we found trapped, so why were we allowed to stay at the abbey?

They let us live because at some point, they must have seen and probably fought my son in the area. They were probably hoping to use us to find to him, and thus the sprites.

One day while we were out looking for traps by the stream in the eastern wood a loud splash caught my notice.

I turned expecting to find an animal near the water's edge, only to find one of Mei's fancy perfume bottles sitting at the edge of the water. I was stunned to find it there amongst the rocks and mud like it had been waiting there all along when I knew for certain it was not there a moment ago. Mei caught on to my volatile feelings and followed my line of vision. When she saw the vial she gave a small strangled cry, and picked it up, cradling it like it was her long lost son.

Quickly, I scanned the area hoping to see him. Surely it had to have been Trant that left the bottle there!

My son was nowhere in sight. However, across the water and partially hidden in the trees was the water elemental that Trant had escaped with. Dorothy. She was different though. Her face looked far too worn and tired for one of her ageless race. The strain of her ordeal over the past few decades had imprinted itself on her. Somehow I could just tell by looking at her, that she was dying.

I took an involuntary step towards her, and she immediately reacted by taking two back into the concealing undergrowth. My wife called out to her, pleading with her to stay.

"Wait! Please! We can help you! Is Trant still with you?" she reached into her robes and pulled out a vial of life force. "Is this what you need? We kept it well hidden. It is yours if you need it."

I won't lie and say we never used the contents of the vial. We were old, while Dekim, Septum and Dermail were young and healthy. Every now and then we needed to ration out a drop or two to keep up with their schemes. Out of the two vials we had started off with, we had taken at least half of one.

Dorothy's eyes flared with a mixture of loathing and longing. As much as she hated that vial and its contents, she wanted it just as much. For a moment it looked as if she was going to come toward us to take it. I found myself holding my breath, afraid that even the slightest noise might scare her off. What stopped her was her hand looking like it was caught on something.

In the dark shadows of the trees and bushes, I almost didn't see what was at the end of her arm. Standing there next to her clutching her hand was a very small child. I strained my aging eyes and was able to pick out more details. It was obvious that the child was hers. They had the same almond shaped eyes, the same nose, mouth and chin. The big difference other than the absence of those odd forked eyebrows of hers was their opposite coloring. Where Dorothy had pale hair and eyes, the child had hair and eyes as black as pitch. The same color Mei's used to be when we were first married.

The child regarded us with a serious expression before looking up at its mother. Perhaps it was something in the way he moved, or the look on his face, hell it could even have been the bit of life force I had taken making me more intuitive, but I saw the shadow of my son in that child. I didn't know if it was a boy or a girl, but somehow I knew in that moment that the child was my son Trant's child. My grandchild.

As soon as I acknowledged that thought, I also knew that something drastic had happened to my son. There was no way that stubborn boy of mine would ever leave his woman and child unprotected. I looked over at my wife and saw the same thoughts pass through her eyes.

Feeling my throat closing up, I took the vial from my grief stricken wife's hands and placed it where the other vial had been. "Here, take it if you need it. If you need more, we have another one we can give you. If you need our help for anything, let us know. We will try and return here as often as we can, but please be careful. The ones who caught you before are in the area as well and they could be watching." I said quickly and started pulling Mei in the direction of the abbey.

* * *

"We returned to the spot as many times as we could without being followed. A few times I was sure I was being watched, but I couldn't see anyone." The old man said with a sentimental look in his eyes.

"A few years later, there was a large forest fire that somehow managed to happen right in the middle of the rainy season. It was very odd and everyone wondered how it could have happened but my wife and I knew who was probably responsible, so we went out to the same spot by the stream. Before we even reached it, we found you stumbling around, confused and disoriented, covered with ash and soot, crying for your mother."

Wufei felt a chill run up his spine as he recalled the dream that had haunted him for as long as he could remember. The fire that was going to eat him, calling for his mother, and the difficulty breathing. He still couldn't remember what had happened to him clearly, but he could somehow clearly picture the elemental, Dorothy, his mother. He knew before Howard even mentioned her appearance. He knew her hair was pale like Quatre's and fell below her waist. He knew that her eyes were the exact same shape as his, but were an icy blue-gray. He could even see her completely inhuman forked eyebrows.

"Why did you wait until now to tell me this?" he whispered harshly.

"Because I didn't want them to suspect that you were anything less than a human boy caught in that fire. If I showed too much attachment to you they would have known there was something odd about you. I know for certain they haven't been able to capture any of the fey recently, and they have started to become desperate. If you look at them you can tell that they are beginning to deteriorate faster and faster. Even though they started out here younger than I, they have almost caught up to me physically."

Wufei processed this information and tried to remember what the trio looked like when he was a boy. The images were too fuzzy but he could admit that looking at them now, he would guess they were about Howard's age.

Wufei felt his insides harden. "So you are telling me that because they couldn't find any sprites or imps they started to drain humans?" All of those bodies that were burned outside, all of the people in the medical wing, they did all of this to what? Cheat death? Trowa picked up his bitter mood and growled. But before Wufei could barge out of the room demanding justice, Howard put a hand on his forearm, stopping him.

"If you go out there now, they will capture you and friends and drain you. I admit I was a fool. Even I never would have figured that they would go so far as to start draining humans in the abbey. I was certain that they could tell that your cat friend was a little too intelligent for a cat and that you were not completely human so I focused on watching you. I was even going tell you the truth and take you away from the abbey before you disappeared."

"Is that why they killed them? Because I wasn't here? And how could they know I was different even when I didn't know I was?" he asked bitterly.

"It's because of the way you look." A voice whispered from across the room.

Wufei's eyes widened as he looked at the young man lying in the bed. He had forgotten there were others in the room with him.

"Quatre!" Heero whispered, touching his lover's face.

The blond tried to angle himself up on to his elbows but needed Heero to help him.

"Are you alright Quatre?" Wufei asked.

"Tired." He said, breathing heavily. "I always knew there was something odd about you. My family is descended from the ancient mystics and every now and then I can get 'impressions' about people. Just like I knew that Heero was my intended, I knew there was something about you. Something different." He gasped for a minute, like talking so long had left him out of breath. Heero took up the conversation.

"Your looks are very unique. Everyone in the abbey has noticed how exotic and pretty you are. But not only that, if someone looked closer, they would notice that you don't age normally. You are supposed to be two years older than me, and yet you look at least two younger."

Quatre and Howard both nodded as if they had also noticed this.

"If you had not stayed here so long, it might have escaped notice, but since some of us have known you for more than a decade, it is difficult to miss." Quatre stated. "Now, is it possible to meet these friends of yours?" he asked hopefully.

Wufei did not want to speak on behalf of his lovers so he gently probed the bond he had with them to see if they wished to reveal themselves.

Trowa didn't care about the humans one way or another. He knew they were important to Wufei, but he had no real interest in meeting them. Duo, who was still badly shaken, pointed out that they had already shown themselves to Heero, so it probably didn't matter. After a brief debate, they decided it probably couldn't make matters worse and agreed.

Wufei pulled a still scared Duo out of his robes, and as one, the pair changed.

The three human men stared at them with varying expressions of surprise. Howard's expression was one of a general surprise, while Quatre and Heero were openly ogling them.

"Oh my." Quatre breathed emphatically.

tbc

* * *

Yes, I know this extra long chapter doesn't make up for how long you had to wait for it. For those of you who are still with me, know that I do treasure you.

*raises fist into the air* THIS STORY WILL NOT GET THE BEST OF ME! I will defeat and complete it even if it kills me! Well, maybe not kills me, but it definitely could put me into some serious mental therapy.


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